CoJ launches safety campaign

The City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety, Councillor Sello Lemao, has called on communities throughout the city to work with law enforcement agencies, including the SAPS and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), to deal with crime this festive season.

The City’s festive season safety campaign was launched on December 10.

MMC Lemao said there was a critical need for unity among Johannesburg communities in the fight against crime.

“The city is under siege because of crime. We need the community to work with the police to fight crime,” MMC Lemao said.

He added that the City had identified several crime hotspots in the metro that, he said, would be targeted by law enforcement agencies – particularly during the festive season – to maintain law and order.

“We decided to launch this campaign to make criminals feel unwelcome in communities. We need to form partnerships with communities to address crime and devise strategies to root out the causes of crime,” MMC Lemao said.

MMC Lemao said the City would implement an inter-departmental programme across all seven regions to deal with problems besetting communities.

“From January to June next year, all the City’s departments will visit the regions to address problems plaguing our communities,” said MMC Lemao.