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The Star, security minister launches partnership against crime initiative
The Star today, Monday, 20 November 2006, announced a donation of R1 million to assist Gauteng's Community Policing Forums (CPFs) in their fight to curb lawlessness in the province and Johannesburg. The announcement was made at the launch of The Star/CPF "Partnership Against Crime" at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg, at which the Minister of Safety and Security, Charles Nqakula, made the keynote address.
''The war against crime is no longer just a police matter but a community issue that has to involve everyone. The Minister has long emphasised the need for a joint partnership between police and the community at large, ultimately translating into a meaningful and sustainable reduction in crime.'' says Mogsien Williams, editor of The Star.
Police statistics indicate that no less than 2 546 294 people were victims of violent crime between April 2003 and March 2006. These crimes include murder, attempted murder, rape, ordinary and aggravated robbery, indecent and ordinary assault, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, car hijackings and robbery at private residences.
The Minister and President Thabo Mbeki have recently again emphasised the need for a joint partnership between the police and the community at large, ultimately translating into a meaningful and sustainable reduction in crime. The vehicle to realise this is the CPF attached to each police precinct - a statutory body as defined in the Police Service Act.
The Star, only too aware of this unsatisfactory level of violent crime in Gauteng and responding to calls by its readers for firm and sustainable action, has joined forces with the province's 130 CPFs in the hope of stemming the wave of violence and lawlessness.
The Star's donation will be used as seed money to build a proper resource base for all the CPFs in the region and specific anti-crime projects.
In the partnership agreement, the paper has committed itself to raise community awareness about the role of CPFs and to publicise their activities on a regular basis. This will include a dedicated column every Friday that will feature a different CPF, to be complemented by an online campaign driven through The Star's website.
The Star's involvement with the CPFs is the first real overall commitment by a newspaper since their inception 12 years ago. All law-abiding residents of Gauteng are invited to be part of this initiative and help build a crime-free society for everyone.
