Gauteng's strategy to combat crime across municipal boundaries

OVER the past few months, the Gauteng Provincial Government has been hard at work to ensure an improved coordinated approach among the law enforcement agencies to strengthen capacity in the fight against crime, vandalism and lawlessness.

To give effect to this, Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, recently signed a landmark agreement that made it possible for law enforcement agencies in the province to conduct cross-boundary crime prevention operations.

What does this mean? Lesufi has effectively mandated all the law enforcement agencies to ensure central coordination and planning of all the safety and security initiatives in the province. Collective planning of policing initiatives from a central point is key, he says.

The inclusion of the law enforcement units from the municipalities in the planning stage is regarded as key to being able to tackle crime challenges that plague certain areas in the municipalities. Importantly, it allows authorities to have a holistic picture of the crime challenges in the province.

The signed agreement outlines a comprehensive five-year framework for intergovernmental cooperation, bringing together SA Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), the Gauteng Department of Community Safety, municipal police departments, district and local municipalities, Community Policing Forums (CPFs), and Gauteng Crime Wardens.

Key areas of the agreement include joint law enforcement operations across municipal boundaries, intelligence sharing and joint training. This is aimed at combating crimes such as drug trafficking, cable theft, illegal mining, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), illegal firearms, and precarious buildings.

Simply put, Metropolitan Municipal Police Departments (MPDs), local and district traffic municipalities are now able to conduct crime-fighting operations beyond their municipal boundaries, working with one another and the SAPS. There are no jurisdiction restrictions. It is a more pragmatic approach in the fight against crime. Gauteng does not have borders when it comes to crime fighting, Lesufi stated.

The crime dynamics in the province differ from one municipality to another, with hotspot areas. The previous approach has been that the local police and the municipality should deal with those challenges on their own.

The agreement that Lesufi has signed makes it possible for the entire law enforcement agencies to converge in one municipality and saturate it with crime-fighting operations and deal with lawlessness. It is a move by the province to demonstrate its crime-fighting capacity and integration of existing resources in the province to fight crime.

To add to this, the province has moved swiftly to integrate other service delivery programmes into this model when these operations are taking place. The integrated service delivery programme that took place in Emfuleni Local Municipality in the Southern region for two weeks only comprised joint law enforcement operations.

Key activities undertaken during the programme included school safety searches and awareness talks to promote drug-free and safe learning environments. Multiple illegal dumping sites were cleared, enhancing environmental health to restore community dignity.

These interventions are a direct outcome of the integrated framework established through the memorandum of understanding, which promotes coordinated planning, swift response, and joint accountability across law enforcement and government entities.

The Gauteng Provincial Government will continue to implement similar integrated operations across the province as part of its broader strategy to enhance service delivery, improve public safety, and foster an environment conducive to investment and job creation.

* Morwane is the Director for Communication Services in the Gauteng Department of Community Safety. The views expressed are his own.

** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, Independent Media or IOL.