Community Safety
(1) How many Community Safety Forums (CSFs) have been established in the Western Cape;
(2) whether all the CSFs are fully functional; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) what is the rationale behind the reintroduction of the CSF project after being abandoned some years ago?
[1] 15 CSF’s established to date
[2] Not all CSFs are fully functional, mainly due to a lack of stakeholder buy-in and sustainable involvement of all role-players. In my opinion the lack of clarity about the legal and or the regulatory framework directing the powers, functions and duties of the CSFs must be addressed to ensure the viability of CSFs.
[3] Based on the draft National CSF Policy (circulated in 2102 by the National Secretariat for Police Service) CSFs are designed to serve as a platform for coordination, integration and monitoring of the implementation of the so-called multi-sectorial crime prevention and community safety initiatives within the context of the National (and Provincial) JCPS priorities in serving as the central catalyst for joint collaboration towards a local crime prevention strategy. As such, the CSF concept also emphasises the need to ensure synergy and alignment of all government inputs and outputs in the local domain to fast track and improve service delivery whilst drawing on all available resources in achieving the commitments underlying the developmental perspective. Such deliberations must be undertaken within the guiding framework of the intergovernmental relations prescripts and co-operative government.
In the absence of clear legislation, the department over the last two years have started to facilitate a one-on-one partnership with certain municipalities to establish CSFs and to date we have established 15 CSF’s linked to local municipalities.
