Acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane says inadequate environmental design and street lighting are among the factors that can increase crime risks in communities.
Dimpane was speaking to the media at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Gauteng Head Office in Parktown on Tuesday, following the discovery of the eighth woman’s body in a river near Tembisa Mall on the East Rand.
The discovery comes amid a series of cases involving women whose bodies have been found in different parts of Ekurhuleni, including Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Clayville and Springs.
Dimpane says police are working with provincial authorities to address environmental factors that could contribute to crime.
She says inadequate street lighting and other challenges linked to the design of public spaces can increase risks in certain areas.
“We do have challenges in terms of environmental design, the street light and so forth. Those are the issues that provincial commissioners and ourselves attend to with provincial government,” Dimpane says.
She says multidisciplinary teams and ongoing engagements with provincial governments are needed to address these concerns.
Dimpane acknowledges that police and government need to improve their response in some areas where environmental conditions may exacerbate crime risks.
Meanwhile, the South African Council of Churches (SACC) has called for urgent measures to protect women following the discovery of the bodies.
SACC General Secretary Mzwandile Molo says the deaths have caused fear and anger among communities and has called for investigations to be expedited.
Molo says the number of women killed in South Africa each year reflects a serious failure to protect vulnerable people.
He has urged authorities, communities and religious organisations to use legal, judicial and community-based measures to address violence against women.
Molo says the country needs to strengthen efforts to prevent further deaths and improve safety for women.