JOHANNESBURG – What has gone wrong? What are we doing differently? Could it be the individualistic ‘it does not concern me’ attitude?
Such an individualistic outlook is of little benefit since tomorrow you might fall victim to a crime too. In response to this social anomaly, the government of Gauteng is resuscitating the ‘Take Charge’ campaign in an effort to fight the scourge of crime in our communities.
Information sharing becomes an important prerequisite in ensuring safety in our communities. Pillar three of the newly adopted Gauteng safety strategy, emphasises the deepening of community participation and advocates for community intelligence. History has also proven that active community participation does assist in the fight against crime. There are many good stories to tell that bear testimony to the benefit of community tip-offs including the confiscation of mandrax tablets worth R12 million rand and the arrest of two male suspects on a plot in Walkerville. These are but some of the incidents that indicate that when we work together we can do more.
In addition, the community working together with the police also assisted in the arrest of a suspect in the Taegrin Morris murder case in Reiger Park. Whistle-blowing is the name of the game because all hands should be on deck to eradicate crime in our communities.
Community participation is defined by scholars as containing three elements, namely community consultation, community mobilisation and active community participation. The appreciation of this definition becomes a constant reminder of the significance of community participation in our endeavour to eradicate crime. Certainly, that is not too much to ask from all the citizens of Gauteng.
Let us not wait for crime to be committed against us before we take action.
Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, MEC for Community Safety in Gauteng
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