EAST LONDON – The Eastern Cape Department of Community and Safety hosted day one of a two day crime prevention workshop on the 21 November 2023 at the East London Regent hotel, in collaboration with the government of Lower Saxony from the Federal Republic of Germany.
The workshop aimed to share best practices and learn from the German government’s approaches to violence and crime prevention, with a specific focus on local level initiatives. The ultimate goal was to build safer communities through a collaborative effort between governmental and non-governmental stakeholders at international, national, provincial and local levels.
Head of Department from Eastern Cape Department of Community and Safety Vuyani Mapolisa, expressed gratitude to the government of Lower Saxony for their support and collaboration in hosting the workshop. The Eastern Cape province has got a twinning agreement with the province of Lower Saxony in Germany in focusing a number of areas. But for us today, it’s the department of community safety. It’s about crime prevention, it’s about correctional services, it’s about justice, So we’re tackling those issues around crime prevention,” said Mapolisa.
The department believes that the knowledge and skills gained during the workshop will be invaluable in their efforts to create safer communities in the Eastern Cape.
Dr Thomas Smollich who is the state secretary ministry of justice in Lower Saxony said, “what is so special about the program communities that care it was not developed in Germany first all but it comes from the United States of America and when we introduced it in Lower Saxony we had to adapt the program to meet our own needs and we are here in the Eastern Cape to share those experiences of ours with the people in the Eastern Cape , so it’s very important for people of the Eastern Cape to actually see how the instrument works and how it can be adapted,” emphasized Dr Smollich.
The workshop is a testament to the commitment of the Eastern Cape Department of Community Safety to prioritize the safety and well-being of its citizens. By working together with international partners and local stakeholders, the department is confident that they can make a positive impact in the fight against crime and violence.
