Community Safety to host its District Rural Safety Summit in Central Karoo

On 30 January 2023, the Department of Community Safety will host its District Rural Safety Summit and Policing Needs and Priorities (RSSaPNP) engagement in the Central Karoo District.

The Western Cape Government (WCG) views the safety and security of all communities in the Western Cape as a priority, including that of rural communities. To build on this strategic goal, the Department of Community Safety is, together with local safety stakeholders, working towards improving the wellness and safety of communities in district and local municipalities. 

The Rural Safety Summit will address: 

• The identification of the policing needs and priorities for the District;

• The way forward in the District Municipality, through the lenses of the Whole-of-Society Approach and the Western Cape Safety Plan. 

The Policing Needs and Priorities engagement will contribute to the determination of policing needs and priorities at a local level to help improve safety in the Central Karoo. A provincial report will be submitted to the National Minister of Police to take into account when resource allocation is done to the province as well as inform SAPS strategic and operational plans for the district. It will also identify safety initiatives to be implemented by the Western Cape Government. 

Various stakeholders – such as the Department of Agriculture, stakeholders from all spheres of Government, Community Police Forums (CPFs), the South African Police Service (SAPS), Neighbourhood Watches (NHWs), the Western Cape Police Ombudsman and the Head of Department for Community Safety, Adv. Yashina Pillay will form part of the Central Karoo Rural Safety Summit and policing needs and priorities engagement.

The Minister for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, who will also be in attendance stated: “I’m looking forward to engaging the stakeholders of the Central Karoo. As a major route in and out of the Western Cape, peddlers of illicit items tend to use these highways to continue with their illegal activities. It’s important that we discuss how this can further be curbed and how we will strengthen our crime fighting efforts in and around the area.”

The engagement contributes significantly to the prevention and reduction of violent crime and murders, by providing for greater integration and collaboration between government, civil society and stakeholders. 

There will be an opportunity for photographs and interviews. 

All Media are invited to attend:

Date: 30 January 2023

Time: 08:00 am – 15:00 pm

Venue: Swartberg Hotel, Prince Albert