Cape Town - SAPS Western Cape says a new initiative aimed at improving safety partnerships in the city and province will afford them an opportunity to acquire knowledge in the policing sector.
According to the Western Cape government, the initiative will run until May 2025 and is funded by the provincial government’s long-standing German partner province, the Free State of Bavaria.
Spokesperson for SAPS Western Cape Novela Potelwa said: “We know the partnership will also afford us the opportunity to impart our own knowledge acquired over years in the policing sector. We are also cognisant that policing is not static but evolves all the time, hence such new partnerships are envisaged to bolster our collective efforts to create safer Western Cape communities.”
The Western Cape government said the memorandum of understanding signed on Tuesday extends and intensifies existing relations first inked in 2018 with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) as the key implementation partner.
“The project focuses on strengthening data-driven and evidence-based policing approaches through building solid partnerships between numerous law enforcement agencies, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecution Authority (NPA),” the provincial government said.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said partnerships such as these must be utilised to make communities safer so citizens and the economy can prosper.
“Relationships like this are driven by the need to seek justice and offer our citizens dignity through safety. Apart from the partnerships we have with local authorities, we must double down on our commitments and also seek out new partnerships at home and abroad. We are constantly learning how to improve policing in the Western Cape. This can only be done through our evidence-based and data-led methodology, the backbone of the Western Cape Safety Plan,” he said.
Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen said: “This signing is significant and demonstrates how the WCG continues to work closely with both local and international partners. Their insights and expertise are invaluable as they relate to both domestic and foreign safety matters. Their investment in our country and particularly our province can only stand us in good stead as we tackle crime across our communities. May this partnership grow from strength to strength.”