MEC Sizakele tables statement following SOPA

Provincial Policing Plan

During his address, the Premier alluded to the Gauteng City Region having adopted a comprehensive Provincial Policing Plan to turn the tide on crime in our province.

The plan seeks to strengthen and enhancing the leadership and managerial capacity to effectively and efficiently reduce drastically the current high levels of crime to manageable levels. The plan proposes the reduction crime and road fatalities by 50% in priority stations and fifteen hazardous locations.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is achievable. A practical example is cities such as Bogota and New York who were able to achieve this milestone over a five-year period without investing more resources. They merely strengthen their intelligence and detective capacity which resulted in them achieving high conviction rates.

Deliverology Method in Policing

The department has identified 40 poor performing policing precincts from the 2015/16 crime statistics.  This resulted in the development of the intervention plan to address the challenges these stations are facing.

The plan has three focus areas which are increasing the deployment of police service and visibility. On this focus area, the plan proposes increasing of personnel and patrol vehicles, improvement of citizen perception towards crime as well as reduction of the trio and sexual crimes.

The second focus area is managing crime related to alcohol and drug abuse which is mostly driven by taverns and shebeens.

On this focus area, the plan proposes ensuring that taverns and shebeens in high crime areas adhere to by-laws and liquor trading regulations. It also proposes ensuring 50% reduction of illegal shebeens. The third focus area is 50% reduction in pedestrian road fatalities.