Community safety a priority
The 250 plus delegates who recently attended the Ekurhuleni Community Safety Forum Conference in Germiston confirmed that the safety and security of communities is no longer a matter just for the attention of the police, and this is demonstrated by the increasing participation of citizens in curbing crime.
The aim of the conference was to bring together all people involved in community safety in Ekurhuleni to form a Community Safety Forum (CSF).
“The purpose of the CSF is to galvanise and bring together all community safety and security stakeholders for a common goal,” said Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Safety Mthuthuzeli Siboza.
The common goal of the forum, according to Siboza, is to create conditions that will bring harmony and stability into communities. He said it is meant to deal with any safety matters within a community that make people unsafe in their street, home or place of work.
The plan is divided into five objectives which were identified as concerns in Ekurhuleni neighbourhoods.
They are the improvement of the physical environment, bylaw enforcement, youth crime prevention, ensuring the reduction of priority crimes and establishing a social and community development centre.
The CSF coordinating committee will comprise of 10 members, six of which are community representatives and will submit quarterly progress reports on the implementation of the five objectives.
Some of the organisations involved are the police, the departments of justice and constitutional development, social development, education as well as independent security companies, religious forums, business associations, ward structures and other civic organisations.
