Today, as part of creating safe, secure and viable communities for the people of Johannesburg, I opened a new JMPD Satellite Station in Kenilworth.
Communities such as Kenilworth, Turffontein and Rosettenville are being directly impacted by the scourge of drugs, human trafficking, and other gang-related ills, which I will not tolerate.
The property housing this brand new satellite station has been generously donated by The Southern Business Community Forum and Mr Mario Stephanou, and is a great example of how government, the private-public sector and community can work together to improve the quality of security in communities.
Private public partnerships also allow government to maintain quality service delivery in spite of budget limitations, and most importantly, services are delivered to the communities that need them.
The Southern Business Community Forum is therefore to be commended for their generous donation, and for their steadfast commitment to the communities in which they operate.
This initiative further supports Rosettenville’s Reclaim-our-Community movement, which is tackling property hijacking and human trafficking that result in other criminal activities.
In conjunction with the Department of Social Development, this satellite station will serve as a haven for victims of human trafficking to receive support and trauma counseling. It will further serve as an operational office for JMPD officers, and as an administrative point for residents to get their documents certified. It will also be home to the Local Policing Forums from the surrounding areas such as Rosettenville.
Ultimately, the constitutional mandate to of policing, deterring crime and investigating criminal activity lies with the South African Police Services (SAPS) and national government.
However, as a City, we cannot stand back and allow our residents to fall prey to criminals.
That is why within the City’s limited policing jurisdiction, we continue, and are committed, to utilising our available policing capacity to promote law and order and maintain the safety of residents in communities through collaboration with the SAPS.
Our completed biennial customer satisfaction survey, which aims to determine how customers perceive the provision of services within the City, reaffirmed the importance of public safety.
In terms of the satisfaction with JMPD, an increase of 3% points was achieved from 56% in 2015 to 59% in 2017, registering the first increase in this indicator since 2013. Driving performance in this indicator is the increase in the public’s recognition of increased JMPD visibility.
We are pleased to see that our efforts are starting to pay off, and we will soon further increase visibility when the additional 1500 officers join our force. At the end of this month, a new Chief of Police is also due to be approved by Council and our recruitment efforts have focussed on finding the right individual to take the JMPD to new heights.
When private and public partnerships pool their resources, know-how, and expertise to deliver services, everyone wins. Together, the City and its communities, can win the war against crime.