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Police and government imbizo
Rampant crime and gangsterism were high on the agenda at the police imbizo in Atlantis on the Cape West Coast. Deputy Police Ministers Cassel Mathale and Polly Boshielo attended the crime prevention gathering.
Police say the purpose of the engagement was to find lasting solutions for communities affected by gun and gang violence.
Residents of Atlantis on the West Coast are appealing to the national Police Department to beef up resources at the local police station. The imbizo was held at Avondale Primary School where residents voiced their grievances and frustrations.
Community members say most of the crimes in the area remain unresolved due to incapacity. They have complained of rampant gangsterism and gun violence. Police say more resources will be deployed to the area to combat crime.
“We have the strategy that we have put in place, we are getting to the second phase of that plan where we have released the last batch of the 10 000 for 2023, 2024 financial year. In that batch, there is a specific number that I don’t have figures in place but giving figures as well in this kind of platform, you want to be gaged. Criminals are also listening. So that plan is to augment and complement the numbers that you are having, including the FCS FS, is getting for the third year now that we are,” says Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili.
“The officers for this area of Atlantis are going to come here beside the police station itself and interact with the community here. The district or the metro commander, who is responsible for the metro is going to come here. He has been instructed to commit to engage in community activities to give them feedback, but also the provincial commissioner, including the acting national commissioner whom I am with here has already also got orders that they must do this engagement,” says Mathale.
The Western Cape government has called on police and communities to work together to fight crime.
“It is concerning that the trust between the community and the police has been broken,” says MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety in Western Cape. Anroux Marais.
The City of Cape Town will boost its deployment of resources and officers in the area to fight crime.
“The City will look at rolling out more surveillance cameras in Atlantis,” says , Cape Town Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith
The imbizo in Atlantis will be followed by a similar community engagement initiative in Samora Machel in Phillipi on the Cape Flats.
Video: Police ministry holds crime prevention imbizos
