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'If we can’t defeat crime, we must kiss our country goodbye,' Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said on Tuesday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
President Cyril Ramaphosa has stressed the need for a holistic approach to policing, warning that the country’s safety and stability depend on effective crime-fighting strategies.
He was speaking during the opening of the Police Summit held at Emperor’s Palace in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, on Tuesday, 8 April.
The three-day summit aims to reflect on current policing strategies and explore new, more effective methods for the South African Police Service (Saps).
It will conclude on Thursday, 10 April.
Lesufi emphasises the need to tackle crime
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi did not mince his words in his address at the event, stating that the country faces a grim future if it fails to curb crime.
“If we can’t defeat crime, we must kiss our country goodbye. If we can’t defeat crime, we must forget about attracting investment.
“If we can’t tackle crime head-on, we must also forget about attracting tourists into our country,” said Lesufi.
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He raised concern over the increasing number of Gauteng residents leaving the province due to violent crime.
“We can’t fold our arms when criminals are doing what they are doing in our province,” he said, while also underscoring the need to address illegal immigration.
Lesufi stressed that crime-fighting was the provincial government’s foremost priority.
“We come here to demonstrate our commitment to the fight against [crime] as the Gauteng provincial government so that the resources that we have at our disposal, we made can make them available to all law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Criminals killed
In addition, the premier revealed that law enforcement had arrested 110 out of 450 individuals implicated in major crimes over the last two months.
“Almost 15 have been reconnected with their creator up there in the sky.
“This is the commitment we intend to continue with until the 450 people we have identified have been appropriately taken to where they belong in jail.”
Masemola urges police not to back down
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola called on police officers to defend themselves when faced with criminal threats.
“Our objective is to bring the criminals to book, bring them to court, to be trialled and be sentenced for the sins they have done, but if they choose to challenge the police, members of the South African Police Service you need to face them and fight for yourself and for the country,” Masemola said.
He stressed that failure to act could result in fatal consequences for officers.
“If they don’t [fight back], there’s going to be a funeral,” the commissioner warned.
Watch the summit below:
Mchunu outlines systemic challenges in dealing with crime
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu acknowledged the deep-rooted challenges within the policing system.
“Among the things that we have realised we need to master, is exactly how to police the country effectively and efficiently amid shortages in terms of police numbers to the population, budgetary constraints, and where there is high rate of crime and corruption, especially in the four biggest provinces in our country namely: Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape,” he said.
Mchunu expressed particular concern about the murder rate, as well as gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
“We are also worried about the easy availability of firearms, especially illegal firearms and drugs,” he said, adding that reducing organised crime remained a top priority.
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The minister also took aim at corruption within the police.
“There is no doubt that corruption within the Saps requires tackling. We are seized with this and are dealing decisively with it.”
To combat corruption, Mchunu revealed plans to digitise the docket management system.
“Very often we get told the docket has disappeared because people pay some corrupt police,” he said.
He also announced that the number of police laboratories would be increased, with private sector partners pledging to provide them with modern equipment.
Ramaphosa calls for proactive solutions to crime
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa called for an innovative and solutions-oriented approach to policing, stressing that crime is both a “cause” and a “symptom” of societal issues.
“It is a cause of insecurity and instability in our communities, as it weakens the social fabric. Crime has a direct impact on the economy.
“It discourages investment, disrupts business activity and leads to increased security costs for companies.
“Crime is also a symptom of wider problems in a society [such as] poverty, inequality and unemployment, but also the lack of opportunity, the presence of patriarchy and misogyny, and broken family structures.
“These are some of the causes of crime and criminality,” he said.
The president compared addressing crime without tackling its root causes to a doctor treating symptoms without diagnosing the illness.
“It is therefore encouraging that this summit has as one of its key objectives adopting a more holistic approach to law-enforcement, encompassing not just the police but the entire policing system.”
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Ramaphosa highlighted that community involvement would be crucial to the success of any crime-fighting strategy.
“We know that communities are the most potent resource for fighting crime. Crimes happen in communities, and criminals are often known to communities.
“From this summit, we need a clear plan on how to better involve communities in crime prevention and detection, and on harnessing the potential of CPFs [Community Policing Forums] in line with relevant legislation and regulations.
“Citizens must be empowered to actively participate in crime prevention efforts through collaboration, awareness and community-driven initiatives to create safer neighbourhoods.”
Police burden
The president also noted the role of alcohol in fuelling GBV.
“A holistic policing approach would, for example, need to involve working with local authorities to enforce municipal by-laws for establishments selling alcohol.”
Ramaphosa further acknowledged the heavy burden placed on officers, highlighting the need to address the issue of insufficient resources and modernise systems.
“Even as the Saps budget has increased over the past ten years, the reality is that the number of police personnel has been declining while the country’s population has been growing.
“The resources of the police are stretched extremely thin. This means that we must work better and smarter by using existing resources more effectively.”
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