Taking the fight to organised crime
Bathandwa Mbola
30 October 2008
The South African Police Service is taking the fight to crime syndicates in the country, says Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa, with the Organised Crime Unit making 344 arrests - including 43 for cash-in-transit heists and 17 for ATM bombings - between July and September.
Mthethwa, along with other ministers from the government's justice, crime prevention and security cluster, were briefing journalists in Pretoria.
The minister said that while the situation was not completely under control, police resources would be strengthened sufficiently to stamp it out, especially as the festive season approached.
Cash-in-transit robberies and ATM bombings usually escalate during this period.
Public education programme
Mthethwa has commissioned a plan on how South Africa's police force can "overpower" criminals in the country, a plan that will involve "a focused, needs-based public education programme, which aims to alter public attitudes and responses to crime and to activities which support crime."
He said public awareness campaigns would include the causes and implications of crime, for instance, how the purchase of stolen property could be a key factor in crime prevention.
Mthethwa added that the role of the public in assisting the police through existing structures, such as community policing forums, police reservists and the Business Against Crime initiative, could not be under-estimated.
The government has set a target of reducing crime by between 7 percent and 10 percent a year. However, the Presidency's 15-year Review, released last month, pointed to an upward trend in violent crimes and a below-target pace of decline in serious crimes.
The review noted a study by the Institute for Security Studies last year, showing that more community and civil society participation in crime-fighting was needed.
Private security companies
Mthethwa welcomed any organisation or body willing to partner against crime, while noting that the partnership between the SAPS and the country's private security companies did not "take away the responsibilities of the police".
He said private security companies were helping the police where they were limited in terms of resources.
Under a recently signed agreement with leading security firms, the authorities gave private security officers training on how to secure a crime scene, but they are still not legally allowed to carry out police functions such as making arrests.
"Private security companies employ more people than SAPS nationally," Mthethwa said, adding that they helped improve visibility in a country where there was roughly one police officer for every 347 citizens, according to the 2002 census.
Preparations for 2010
Meanwhile, efforts to increase the number of police members ahead of the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 Fifa World Cup are advancing.
The SAPS has also recently acquired two R44 Raven 11 helicopters, with a further four to be delivered later this year, boosting the country's air-support capabilities ahead of the events.
On Thursday, the SAPS unveiled a technological advanced water cannon truck, brought in from Israel to help keep the peace during the world's most popular sporting event.
The police have also stepped up their 2010 preparations, with various simulation exercises being held in different provinces. These involve "simulated scenarios and other aspects of [our] contingency plans to deal with any form of airborne and land borne threats," the minister said.
Source: BuaNews
