The exhibition was aimed at informing communities about the programmes and services of the department, such as Victim Empowerment Centres and Traffic Management. The platform was also used to mobilise communities to participate in crime fighting initiatives, such as community policing forums and the youth crime prevention desk.
According to the department of community safety’s Busisiwe Kheswua, “The mandate of the exhibition is to deliberate with community members about safety related issues such as policing, crime and other issues. We wanted a review from residents of these various departments and issues to help people live in a safer Gauteng.”
“We found that in Edenvale, residents were especially happy with the policing in the area. Many expressed their appreciation for the police’s visibility and responsiveness to crime. The exhibition showed that many residents were most concerned with the increasing use of drugs in the Edenvale area,” said Ms Kheswua
The exhibition was one of several on-going interactions with citizens in shopping malls as part of the 2013 and 2014 budget speech strategies laid out by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Nonhlanhla Mazibuko. The aim is to provide citizens with an opportunity to interact with law enforcement agencies, allowing them to understand the inner working of these agencies.
