From 21k to 4k: Gauteng crime prevention wardens set to graduate on Sunday

The cohorts were recruited as part of the premier’s commitment to fight crime in the province.

Lesufi briefed the media on the state of readiness for the pass-out parade of the newly recruited warders at the Gautrain Management Agency in Midrand on Friday. 

The parade is set to take place on Sunday in Soshanguve, City of Tshwane. 

Lesufi says the recruitment drive attracted 21 000 applications from across the five regions.  

10 650 applicants were shortlisted for the next stage and only 6 000 candidates made it to the training stage. 

However, only 4000 will be graduating.  

Lesufi says some candidates fell off during verification processes due to criminal records, unverified matric certificates, and a lack of physical fitness. 

He says the newly recruited force will be patrolling the streets of Gauteng, working together with the police to fight crime, starting from Monday.  

“These Crime Prevention Wardens (CPWs) will strengthen the existing law enforcement officials in the fight against crime at the ward level. They will use e-Policing solutions such as drones and helicopters to eliminate criminal elements in the various Gauteng communities,” says Lesufi.  

“Their deployment in hotspot areas forms part of targeted crime prevention operations to deter and detect criminal activities and squeeze the space for criminals to operate. These interventions contribute to the reduction of serious crimes.” 

Lesufi says he hopes the new cohort will help prevent crime and lawlessness in the province and attract investors.  

“They will also form partnerships with schools across the province to address criminal elements in and outside the premises of learning and provide the necessary support and timely response to crime incidents.” 

He says the next step is to connect suburbs, townships, businesses, schools, and other public places with hi-tech face and car recognition CCTVs.  

“We will arm our residents with panic buttons that will be linked to our law enforcement agencies. These panic buttons will also be linked to our CCTVs and our new state-of-the-art integrated command centre. Whenever they feel threatened, every resident will press the button, and it will register at the office of our law enforcement agencies.”