The organisation known as Business Against Crime (BAC) was started in Maritzburg some years ago with the full support of the business community and Chamber, in particular. It was an independent section 21 company that used a name that had already identified similar organisations at national and provincial level and in other towns and cities. Under the leadership of Des Winship, and with the valuable financial support of several local companies. BAC Pietermaritzburg undertook a number of projects. Many assisted the SAPS which, at the time, was badly under-resourced. Most recently it was BAC that initiated the so-called Safe City Project that is now being run so successfully by a separate section 21 company established for the purpose.

It became increasingly obvious that the environment in which BAC was founded to operate had changed. SAPS, for example, is now much better resourced. Although crime remains a critical factor in local economic development, BAC had become somewhat distant from its original business base. Furthermore, the cost of operating as a separate entity with an office and staff proved increasingly unnecessary considering the nature of BAC’s work. To further compound the problem, the national office of BAC had embarked on a campaign to protect the brand by insisting that certain criteria should be met before a local organisation could call itself Business Against Crime. Since the local organisation had had no support from the national office, nor any connection, this was considered unpalatable.

In order to deal with the changed circumstances and to ensure that the objectives of the organisation would be perpetuated, it was agreed by both the Board of BAC and the Executive Committee of the PCB that BAC Pietermaritzburg should be disbanded and a newly-constituted Business Fighting Crime (BFC) (not a section 21 company) returned to the business fold through the Chamber. The PCB supplies the necessary administrative support, thereby reducing costs, and the co-ordination of lobbying and advocacy. At the same time, BFC is directly accessible to the members of the Chamber.

To view Business Fighting Crime's Annual Report for 2010 click here. 

To view the Audited Financial Statements for 2009 click here.