The City of Cape Town held a meeting earlier this week with the national government, aiming to forge a united front in tackling crime.
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In a recent statement, Smith highlighted the unprecedented nature of the meeting, which included the new minister of police, Senzo Mchunu, along with his deputies, the SAPS Civilian Secretariat, and other key officials.
‘Last night I attended a meeting with the new Minister of Police, Minister Senzo Mchunu, his two Deputy Ministers, Mr. Cassel Mathale and Ms Polly Boshielo, the SAPS Civilian Secretariat, Provincial of Policing Oversight and Community Safety, Minister Anroux Marais, Mayor Geording Hill-Lewis and Safety & Security Portfolio Chairperson, Mzwakhe Nqavashe,’ he said.
Minister Mchunu outlined the current state of policing in South Africa – particularly in Cape Town and the Western Cape, and emphasised the need for a collaborative approach across all levels of government to address crime effectively.
He also referenced identified hotspots in Cape Town and various crime issues.
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‘This was the first time ever a meeting has been called with our municipality, attended by the full political and secretariat leadership of SAPS and it turned out to be a very promising meeting,’ Smith said.
‘The City had an unfortunate and adversarial relationship with previous national minister and I was hoping that the new minister would be the one that “flips the script” and lets all of local and provincial government join hands with national government to help win the fight against crime. That will be an extraordinary legacy.’
Key issues discussed included the allocation of resources to under-resourced police stations and the integration of modern policing technologies such as CCTV, drones, and gunfire detection systems.
Smith also raised various issues, including the need for the SAPS to share crime information, gang violence in the City, the need for a change in operational strategies and problems with current legislation.
‘Our Mayor repeated our previous offer, which was this time, readily welcomed: we will ourselves as a municipality, provide any land and facilities we may have available, for the purpose of additional police stations, to serve many of the communities in dire need.’
He adds that Minister Mchunu has committed to finalising agreements within the next week to improve cooperation and intervention efforts.
‘The winds of change seem refreshing and we are excited on the future possibilities and that we would be able to achieve increased synergy between the City and SAPS – fighting crime together instead of fighting crime separately.’
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Picture: JP Smith / Facebook