Civilian Secretariat for Police Service assesses status of policing in the North West.
Mafikeng – The Department of Community Safety and Transport Management has welcomed the oversight visit by the National Department of Civilian Secretariat for Police Service to the North West Province this week.
In the main, the oversight exercise includes monitoring of quality control measures, operational capacity and performance evaluation at hotspot police stations that feature in the national top 30 list, along with those on the provincial radar identified as incapable of effectively mitigating crime challenges.
The Acting Head of Department, Molefi Morule, says indicators suggest that the status of crime in the province is complex and multi-dimensional, pointing to intensive integration by all role players in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster, as well as other clusters.
“The province continues to face complex and multi-dimensional crime challenges, driven by socio-economic conditions as well as organised criminal activity, with the main drivers of priority crimes being unemployment, alcohol and substance consumption and firearms in most cases.
“The department, as an oversight body over the police, has already made progress in the implementation of the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS). We have identified a need to include others outside of the cluster to realise meaningful change that will impact the lives of those we serve,” said HOD Morule.
The national delegation, accompanied by the department, so far has visited police stations in Nietverdiend, Itsoseng, Sun City Skilpdhek Border Post and the 10111 call centre in Mahikeng. The Director-General, Thulani Sibuyi, underscores the significance of accountability when it comes to underperformance by the police.
“Our assessment of policing in the province is to determine the causal factors of non-performance. Accountability should be evident, as efforts are linked to all priority stations.
“The focus is centred on crime trends that have emerged over time, where police find it challenging to contain them despite additional resources at hand.
“The outcome of the visit will inform the baseline of discussions at the MINMEC, the determination of increased resources and budget allocation, as well as finding a common approach as we integrate all provinces through the ICVPS,” said DG Sibuyi
The oversight visit to police stations across the province provided critical insight into operational challenges, service delivery gaps and areas requiring urgent intervention. The findings will guide targeted support and ensure that police stations are better equipped to respond effectively to the needs of communities and to combat crime more efficiently.
-ENDS-
ISSUED BY THE NORTH WEST DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT
