Police Oversight and Community Safety
With regard to the Western Cape Cooperation Agreement for Policing and Safety that was signed on 30 August 2024 by the national, provincial and local government concerning safety in the Western Cape:
- what do the crime statistics, considering the status of crime in the province before the cooperation agreement was signed and the results afterwards, demonstrate;
- what is the contribution of the provincial government to this cooperation agreement;
- whether, with the signing of this cooperation agreement, the devolution of policing powers to the province will still be necessary; if so, what are the relevant details?
(1) The Western Cape Cooperation Agreement for Policing and Safety was signed on 30 August 2024 between the different levels of government. The three months, following the signing of the agreement, the following positive results can be communicated: the agreement has brought together the participating stakeholders, who have identified 9 different streams that will be prioritised to address crime and violence in the province. A two-day strategic workshop was held on 20-21 November 2024 to discuss and clarify the targeted foci for the agreement. In terms of crime, it is too early to reflect on any results. Rather, this phase of the agreement is allowing for the stakeholders to clarify the objectives of the agreement, the roles of partners and innovative measures to address crime and violence.
(2) Crime statistics for the period after the adoption of the Cooperation Agreement are not yet available. The Quarter 2 crime statistics released on the 25thNovember 2024 cover July-September 2024, incorporating one month of data only since the agreement was signed and prior to the development of the implementation plan.
(3) The Cooperation Agreement is a partnership between the City of Cape Town (COCT), the Western Cape Government (WCG) and the South African Police Service (SAPS). All three parties bring their strengths and contributions to the implementation of the agreement. The province supports the deployment of the LEAP programme in conjunction with the COCT and ensures that the deployment is targeted at high-risk communities, POCS also provides an analysis of weekly homicide data to assist with the identification of the priority areas in the Western Cape. In addition, the province is playing a role in coordination of the implementation of the agreement and participates in all the workstreams and the Technical Committee. Furthermore, the province is currently coordinating the implementation of Anti-Gang Implementation Plan that can support the objectives of the cooperation agreement.
(4) The province is still considering the devolution of policing powers to a provincial level, the cooperation agreement creates the opportunity for closer collaboration and cooperation, working towards a common goal of reducing the level of violence in the Western Cape.
