Executive Mayor Amos Masondo said this would go a long way towards ensuring residents and businesses were safe.
"We are working with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure safety in the inner city.
"We now have about 2000 metro police and we are training 500 every year as our plan is to have 4000 police by 2010," the mayor said responding to concerns raised by the Johannesburg Business Forum (JBF) regarding crime.
The JBF made a presentation to President Thabo Mbeki, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa, Mayor Masondo and provincial MEC's as part of the Imbizo Week activities at the weekend.
Among some of the concerns raised by the JBF were the high costs of conducting business, shortages of skilled staff, poor government service delivery and high communications costs.
According to the JBF, Gauteng roads now carry 534 vehicles per 10 kilometres and this has created a need for more road capacity.
To address these challenges, the JBF proposed the implementation of traffic management such as better timing and allowing more broadband players into the telecommunications sector to lower the cost of communication.
Responding to this, Premier Shilowa said government is addressing problem of skills in the province and called on the private sector to assist by providing learnerships, as government alone would not be able to succeed.
"We have a programme in the province to train 1800 artisans in partnership with other government departments.
"However the business sector needs to come forward and assist in young people so that we are able to have the skills we require to grow the economy," he said.
During the meeting President Mbeki raised concerns about the problems identified by JBF, as well as those faced by Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).
The president identified a need for stronger leadership in this sector.
"One of the problems in the SMME is lack of leadership by the business sector and we need to make necessary resources available for the development of small businesses," he said.
More than R1.7 billion has been invested in property refurbishments and construction in the inner city since Johannesburg launched a drive to regenerate the area in October 2004.
Notable projects include the redevelopment of Newtown as a vibrant cultural precinct, hosting music events, theatres and celebrations on public holidays.
Nearby, another regeneration initiative is the development of attractive and affordable apartment complexes, such as the Brickfields project, which has contributed to bringing life and investment back into the once neglected and decaying inner city.