In an effort to chart better crime fighting strategies, the Police Ministry will this week hold a two-day National Summit on Crime and Violence Prevention, in Boksburg, Gauteng.
Themed “Building safer communities through an integrated, developmental approach to crime and violence prevention”, the summit will be held between 13-14 September at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre.
It comes hot on the heels of the grim crime statistics released by the Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole in Parliament on Tuesday.
The summit, the Ministry said, aims to create a joint vision on safety as a collective responsibility. Key stakeholders and experts are expected to engage on the effective implementation of the 2016 White Paper on Safety and Security across all sectors.
“It is also aimed at developing consensus on the role of government, civil society, private sector and communities in promoting safety outcomes, facilitating the establishment of institutional mechanisms for the implementation of the White Paper on Safety and Security as well as building networks and encourage collaboration and co-production of community safety initiatives,” said the Ministry.
The White Paper on Safety and Security, which was adopted by Cabinet in April 2016, seeks to address crime and violence in a proactive manner, and to promote an integrated approach to safety.
The White Paper proposes a “whole of government and whole of society” approach for successful implementation, and will require the different spheres of government to work together to align and amend existing strategies and plans to address how they will contribute to safety.
These respective plans will be coordinated and monitored through an integrated strategy, which provides a framework for the implementation of the White Paper.
The summit is expected to produce outcomes that encourage collective ownership of the White Paper and lobby support for implementation and agreement by the stakeholders to integrated safety outcomes into their own policies, strategies and plans. – SAnews.gov.za
