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Knysna police and crime prevention groups have launched several community outreach initiatives in an attempt to address domestic violence which has reached alarming levels in recent months.
More than 100 incidents of domestic violence are being reported to local police every month, with the community of Joodsekamp being the worst affected area.
"Domestic violence and crimes against women and children remain key focus areas for police. Partnering with the community safety structures to create more awareness will assist in reducing these incidents. Joodsekamp has been identified as one of the hotspot areas," Spies said.
Therefore the first of a series of crime awareness drives - involving the Knysna Community Police Forum, Knysna police, victim support volunteers and local neighbourhood watch volunteers - kicked off in Joodsekamp this week and another will be carried out in Damsebos and Nekkies on Wednesday.
Chris Spies from SAPS said although police had not done an in-depth analysis of why this type of crime had reached such worrying levels, that drugs and alcohol abuse were major contributing factors.
"That is why we have also been focusing on trying to reduce the illegal sale of alcohol and clamp down on the drug trade in the area."
Spies added that the awareness drive involved distributing pamphlets encouraging victims of abuse to report the crime to police.
"We have found that many women are afraid to report domestic violence to police. In most cases the man is the breadwinner and they are scared that if they come forward about the abuse, they would lose the financial security and therefore often decide to rather endure the assault.
"With these campaigns we want victims to know that that is not their only option. We have great victim support and there are various organisations that will ensure that these women don't end up on the streets and are well taken care of."
During the first awareness initiative last week, victim support as well as neighbourhood watch volunteers also joined forces in the Knysna central business district (CBD) with a "love your car initiative".
"They engaged motorists on theft out of motor vehicles and the importance of hiding valuables out of sight. Theft out of motor vehicles has been a challenge in Knysna for quite some time. Incidents reported to us are extremely high, although a number of arrests have been made. Pamphlets were distributed along Main and Grey Streets as well as in shopping centres' parking areas."
