Launched: 1997

Funded by: Government of the Netherlands

• Executed by the City of Johannesburg.
• Between 1997 and 2000, the project was developed through a collaboration with UNHABITAT and the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC), with core Dutch support and National Secretariat for Safety and Security approval.
• Johannesburg has long had a reputation for violent crime with some of the highest murder and rape rates in the world. A new safety strategy was developed aiming to co-ordinate between relevant safety and security agencies (Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, SA Police Services, etc) to develop an overall Johannesburg strategy. The aim is to prevent and manage crime in the city based on a thorough analysis of current crime patterns over the long term.
• Since 2003, this collaboration has progressed towards UN-HABITAT providing technical support as a member of the reference group established to guide the development and implementation of the new City safety strategy.
• A range of partners, including private sector Business Against Crime, are involved in the project.  

• Local diagnosis of security conducted through a victimisation survey influenced a major shift in perception and understanding of crime by South African authorities as findings demonstrated that crime victims were mainly black and poor. The survey also drew attention to issues related to victim reporting and support services.
• Victimisation surveys have since been carried out in several South African cities, amongst others Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
• Local crime prevention strategy developed in 1997 was approved by Municipal Council. The strategy prioritised establishing metropolitan metropolitan and municipal police services, including crime prevention in the agenda of numerous city departments, and coordinating prevention actions among various partners who play a role in reducing or preventing crime. Four levels of intervention were identified:
  • making the environment less conducive to crime
  • developing a culture of prevention
  • supporting preventive policing and law enforcement
  • preventing victimization, and supporting victims.
• Within the Johannesburg 20-30 project, a new city safety strategy was approved by the Council in 2004.
• The new city safety strategy is aimed to reduce both the actual incidences of crime as well as the negative perceptions of crime which impact on business investment decisions.
• The city is targeting priority areas which are important for the economic development of Johannesburg.
  
  

Activities

• Creating employment by hiring car guards, better enforcing by-laws, and establishing a Hawker Unit in the Inner City.
• Tools for victims support have been developed with Business Against Crime.
• Since 2004 a multi-disciplinary team is focusing on five key operational programmes in implementing the new Johannesburg safety strategy:
  • surveillance
  • winning back the streets - rape, murder, car hijackings, muggings, break-ins, armed robbery, white collar crime and corruption
  • recovering guns used in crime and creating Gun-Free Zones
  • tackling organized crime keeping young people away from crime
  • preventing offending and victimisation.

Contact:
Nazira Cachalia
Programme Manager: Joburg 2030
City Safety Programme, Office of the MMC,
Public Safety
JMPD Head Quarters, 195 Main rd, Martindale,
JHB, 2001
Cell: 082 464 4259
Tel: 011-758 9261
Fax: 011-758 9165

E-mail: nazirac@joburg.org.za