Soldiers won’t help to stop crime

Part of the mandate of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) – in addition to its duty to defend the borders of the country – is to render, where it is needed, “support to the civil power”.

Thus, in the past, we have seen soldiers, air force and navy personnel deployed to help in humanitarian missions – as happened this year in the floods in KwaZulu-Natal.

Military units were also deployed, long after the trouble started, in areas where there was “insurrection” in July last year. In 2020, soldiers were sent into townships and suburbs to crack down on those breaking Covid restrictions on movement and consumption of alcohol … earning the SANDF a reputation for brutality in the process.

Troops in camouflage kit and carrying rifles convey a take-no-prisoners message – which is understandable, given that soldiers are trained to fight and to react with maximum – and often lethal – force in a firefight.

It is no surprise, therefore, that ordinary civilians brutalised by the tsunami of crime engulfing us want troops deployed to our streets to win the “war on crime”.

However, sending in soldiers won’t help. Firstly, there are not nearly enough of them – and nor will there be in the future, because the military budget has been slashed back beyond the bone.

Secondly, what little money there is in government coffers needs to be spent on beefing up conventional policing capabilities – and especially when it comes to crime intelligence, which has been woefully inadequate for decades.

With improved intelligence, a start can be made in breaking up the powerful criminal syndicates which are behind much of the crime. And their accomplices – in our security apparatus and our political structures – should also be brought to book.

Finally, improving the lot of ordinary people will make them less susceptible to committing crime.