Safety requires more than patrols and arrests

Mthethwa was speaking during the announcement of the crime statistics for 2012/13 in Pretoria on 19 September.

The minister’s touching statement and enthusiasm are shared by many South Africans, who wish to live in a country where crime is not an issue. But unfortunately, he has his back against the wall.

At least 1 448 of Mthethwa’s own men and women have criminal records, according to an internal audit. They include Major-General Mondli Zuma, whose appointment as Gauteng police commissioner was withdrawn after it emerged he was facing criminal charges.

In April, there was uproar when television footage showed an off-duty policeman beating up an unarmed woman in Cape Town.

The trial of nine Daveyton policemen accused of killing Mozambican Mido Macia is still on going.

The taxi driver was handcuffed to the back of a police van and dragged down a street. He later died of his injuries while in police custody.

In August, an annual conference on National and International Perspectives on Crime and Criminal Justice heard that South Africa’s police force was increasingly violent against the people it was supposed to protect.

Researchers also found that mass recruitment had weakened systems and put poorly trained police on the streets.

Before and while striving for a crime-free South Africa, police and other law-enforcement agencies should first get their houses in order.

Honest police officers work under very difficult circumstances and should be applauded for working tirelessly to combat crime and protect people.

However, fighting crime is a collective effort and requires a whole lot more than arresting and sending criminals to jail. And the clean up should start within the police ranks itself.