Letter: Crime stats should shock residents

Michael Waters, a former member of parliament from 1999 to 2021, writes:
The release of the recent crime stats, from January to March, paints a horrific picture for the residents of Benoni.

Serious crimes such as murder are up by 15% and hijackings by more than 20%.

Serious crimes such as attempted murder and rape remain unacceptably high, while the police seem unable to combat crime effectively.

The latest figures are formulated from incidents reported to the three police stations across the city, including Actonville, Benoni and Crystal Park police stations.

It is clear that having a highly centralised police service where recruitment, training, placement and monitoring are conducted through the police’s headquarters in Pretoria, is not working.

If it were, we would see a consistent and steady reduction of crime across the city as well as the country.

Countries that effectively manage to tackle crime are those where the police force is devolved to the lowest possible sphere of government.

What is needed is to rethink how best to protect our citizens from crime.

Undoubtedly the answer is through the devolution of the police force to provincial and metro levels.

The CoE should be able to take over the policing functions based in Pretoria, as it has the best knowledge on the number of police officers needed as well as the training and deployment of officers.

The budget for this should be transferred to councils directly from the national government.

Crime differs from area to area and we need a police service that is not only reactive but agile in its strategy to fight crime.

The national policing department should have an oversight role where they inspect police stations and training colleges to ensure that minimum standards are met and maintained.

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