Forum launched to address student safety concerns at UKZN

IN A PROACTIVE move to enhance student safety, the Campus Community Safety Forum has been launched to bridge the gap between law enforcement and students, addressing rising security concerns on and off campus.

- THOBEKA NGEMA

The Police Ministry, South African Police Service (SAPS) management, and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) this week led the launch at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Westville Campus.

SAPS social crime prevention head Major-General Thokozani Mathonsi said the programme is designed to ensure police are proactive in responding to crime and security challenges at the university.

“One of the things that we are currently doing is to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) through the Department of Higher Education and Training, which will then allow us to work better with universities,” Mathonsi said.

The programme has been deployed at several universities.

Mathonsi noted that incidents at universities, ranging from assault to murder, occur both on and off campus. These crimes are often influenced by universities being located in high-crime areas.

Mathonsi said they did not want universities to become hiding places for criminals.