Strict alcohol regulation reduces crime
Adapt expresses confidence in the crime-fighting strategies of the current SAPS leadership.
The Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention and Training (Adapt) NPO believes the educational programmes and prevention strategies it has implemented in the township to fight sexual offences, gender-based violence and murders are now yielding results.
These were the words of Adapt’s Sidwell Sehoana during a media and stakeholders briefing at the pro-bono offices of the ENSafrica at Alex Mall. He added incidents of gender-based violence and murders in the township have taken a downward spiral.
Although there is still a lot of work to be done on the ground, Sehoana said they were able to take solace in the fact that their programmes undertaken by the Masiphephe Network of organisations that work in the GBV space, had identified alcohol as the major contributor to incidents of GBV, murders and sexual offences in the township.
“Most cases of GBV that we have handled over the years, including murders, were committed when people have had one drink too many. We then sought the support of the Alex SAPS and the courts in our area to join us in fighting these alcohol-related crimes and now we are beginning to see those dividends,” Sehoana said.
The partnership’s immediate task was to clamp down on the liquor trading outlets in the township by shutting down all illegal taverns, shebeens and pop-up liquor traders. “We have since our clampdown programme started in 2023, closed more than 140 illegal liquor traders and we are witnessing a decline in sexual offences and murders as well.”
Sehoana said the decline of these crimes also speaks to the calibre of the SAPS leadership that exists now at the station and their determination to fight all forms of crimes plaguing the township.
Alexandra SAPS commander Brigadier Albert Maphoto informed the media that the police managed to close down 64 unlicensed liquor outlets since November last year.
“There are just too many illegal alcohol outlets in the township and the task of shutting them down is still huge but we will get there,” he said.
Related article: Mashatile condemns drug and alcohol abuse by youth
