A rural safety work session was conducted at the Kimberley SAPS Gymnasium to discuss ways to improve the safety of farm dwellers and farmworkers and prevent stock theft.
A RURAL safety work session was conducted at the Kimberley SAPS Gymnasium on Tuesday to discuss ways to improve the safety of farm dwellers and farmworkers and prevent stock theft.
The session was attended by representatives from the Provincial Pro-Active Policing, station commanders from the John Taolo Gaetsewe, Frances Baard and Pixley ka Seme districts, Kimberley Vehicle Crime Investigation units, Stock Theft and Endangered Species units and national Visible Policing and Operations (rural safety and stock theft prevention), as well as Joe Scholtz from Agri Northern Cape, Petrus Sitho from the national rural safety task team and Stop Farm Murder and Morgad Sesloka from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
The provincial head for Pro-Active Policing, Brigadier Irene Kopeledi, highlighted the importance of external role-players in assisting the police in fighting crime.
Brigadier Charmaine Muller from the national office noted that the rural safety strategy was drafted as part of the national police action plan.
Muller said that farming communities were the eyes and ears of the police in fighting rural crime and encouraged mutual understanding and co-operation.
Captain Mosimaneotsile Letsapa stated that SAPS members were also provided with more knowledge to deal with the rights of farming communities including land rights, grazing rights, burial rights and basic rights.
