A new community safety plan for Langa, which draws on collaboration by the community policing forum, SAPS and residents, was launched on Saturday June 16.
Ayanda Mooi, who heads the Langa CPF, said the launch followed various imbizos which had been held to give residents an opportunity to state their grievances.
He said they have also consulted with other stakeholders in Langa and surrounds to work with them.
He said while things were looking up for Langa, crimes like gender-based violence were still prevalent.
“When we checked our last crime statistics, they were better than the year before. That alone means there is something we are doing right, together with police and the community.
“We will prioritise the crime based on the report we received from our station commander during our CPF meetings.
“But I must will we not tolerate drunken driving, taverns that close late and shebeens. We feel our people are injured when they come from these places. But we will not fight them, instead talk sense to them,” he said.
He said drugs and alcohol abuse were among the main challenges facing youth in the area. The plan will also focus on preventing road accidents by clamping down on drunk driving.
Mr Mooi urged the community work with them and the police to curb the scourge of crime in the area.
“The truth is we need our people to work with us. The aim is not to protect our families but the entire community of Langa. We also want people who visit Langa to be safe and see a potential here. We have tourists that come here and business people as well. They should feel free to invest here,” he said.
Langa police station’s communications officer Captain Nondumiso Paul issued a stern warning that police would take a zero tolerance approach to crime and that they were happy that the CPF was in the forefront of crime fighting.
“The aim of the launch was to mobilise other structures to (get) on board in fighting crime and working together with the police” said Captain Paul.