The Police Ministry has called for a whole of government and society approach to fighting crime and preventing the proliferation of gang violence, in the Sophiatown precinct in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Police Minister, General Bheki Cele on Thursday 02 March 2023, led a delegation of the South African Police Service (SAPS) as well as the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko, who visited the policing area, following an escalation of gang and drug-related shootings in the Westbury and Newclare townships.
In the last week, six separate shooting incidents have claimed the lives of two people, and 11 others were injured.
Gauteng SAPS has since responded to the shootings through the additional deployment of specialised units of the service, to increase the police footprint on the ground and track and trace those responsible for the rampant violence that continues to threaten the overall safety of residents.
In addition to this, following his visit to the area and speaking with community leaders, Minister Cele has ordered for more sustainable interventions, to deal with crime and the causes of crime in the area.
“It is quite clear that this community is in desperate need of complementary interventions to address the drivers of crime such as poverty, inequality, unemployment, social welfare, housing, and education.
While police have to combat and investigate crime, a whole government and whole society solution is the only way to permanently silence the guns.”
A return visit has been planned to further assess the policing interventions in the Sophiatown policing area and engage the community on the multi-pronged crime prevention intervention that will be ushered in, with the support of the provincial government, in line with the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVP).
The return visit is planned for Tuesday 07 March 2023.