Industry organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) has reiterated its call for active partnerships between the South African Police Service (SAPS), business and the public to be elevated to fight crime effectively.

This follows a meeting last week between the Limpopo Police Management and stakeholders from the security and business sector on the concept of the “Eyes and Ears” initiative (E2).

E2 is an official joint crime fighting initiative between the SAPS, Business Against Crime South Africa (Bacsa) and the private security industry (PSI), with the PSI formally cooperating with the SAPS by relaying information directly to the Provincial Operational Command Centre and, in some instances, receiving such relevant information directly from it.

The E2 project, which was also launched successfully in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, aims to ultimately give birth to the launch of the Safer City project in ten cities.

The E2 will be launched in Limpopo on September 12 and in the Eastern Cape during October.

More than 100 private security companies are already actively involved in the E2 initiative.

Bacsa national project manager Fouche Burgers emphasises how the E2 project could give more impetus to crime-fighting initiatives.

He says poverty, inequality, morality and addiction are drivers of violent crimes and calls for more focus on education, health, housing and addiction support.

“The E2 initiative shows that the private sector and the SAPS can work together and should work together to ensure effective crime fighting,” notes Burgers.

The stakeholders attending the event largely commended the SAPS in the province for their efforts in the fight against illegal mining, farm attacks and other serious crimes.

Launching the Community Policing Strategy in Polokwane after this event, Limpopo Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba called on community members to stop taking the law into their own hands, as this would derail efforts to fight crime.