War on crime: Have we lost?

Minister of Police Bheki Cele said yesterday South Africans did not need to hear they are safe, they need to feel safe.

Cele and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola were giving an update on their plans to combat crime following a bloody and deadly July.

Victimologist from the department of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Limpopo Prof Jaco Barkhuizen said the country was losing the war against crime.

“Crime stats are increasing and there is no comprehensive crime prevention strategy. Our current strategy needs to be updated and take into account what’s happening on the ground,” he said.

South Africa needed a functioning crime intelligence unit, functioning forensic laboratories and fully functioning detectives, along with more police.

“We have lost 20 000 members, and the minister admitted it.

“If we look at what happened at Krugersdorp and the horrific gang rape: all of a sudden police move in and arrest and identify and collect DNA and evidence because there is media attention.

“The police should do this every day.”

He said there should be visible policing. “Crime should be a national priority. Preventing crime and assisting victims should be one of the top priorities of the government.

“Sixty-nine people get murdered every day; countless women are raped.

“This is women’s month. We are going to have platitudes from the president and ministers but still, ladies will be gang raped and murdered during this month because we don’t have a proper police strategy,” Barkhuizen said.

In his State of the Nation Address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa reflected on the July 2021 riots and the report of the high-level panel he appointed to investigate why it happened.

“The report concludes that government’s initial handling of the July 2021 events was inept, police operational planning was poor, there was poor coordination between the state security and intelligence services and police are not always embedded in the communities they serve,” Ramaphosa said.

“We will begin immediately by filling critical vacancies and addressing positions affected by suspensions in the State Security Agency and Crime Intelligence.

“We will soon be announcing leadership changes in a number of security agencies to strengthen our security structures.”

Masemola replaced General Khehla John Sitole in March. However, the Crime Intelligence Unit is still without a permanent head.

Cele said the police were not out gunned but “under-resourced”.

“In 2010 we had 195 000 members. Today we have 176 000. We are 20 000 members down. This year, 10 000 recruits will graduate and they promised us 10 000 more next year. That brings us to the figure of 2010,” he said.

Cele said the ratio in 2010 was one police officer to 250 civilians. “Today the ratio is one officer per 450 civilians,” he said.

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Rural criminologist from the department of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Limpopo Dr Witness Maluleke said as the country has witnessed, criminals have the upper hand.

“It shows there is not a strategy that will respond effectively on crime issues in South Africa,” he said.

Cele added police units had to be enhanced and strengthened. “In 2010 we were supposed to have 12 000 public order policing (POP) members and we only have 5 000 today.

“Out of the 10 000 members from the police college, 4 000 members will go straight to POP,” he said.

Masemola said police analysis of crime threats and crime patterns guided intensified deployments over identified problematic time zones and crime hotspots.

“For instance, there is an indication that, in general, most serious and violent crimes are committed between Fridays and Mondays.

“All provinces are now conducting simultaneous blitz operations with high visibility and combat operations throughout the weekend,” he said.

ALSO READ: Bheki Cele concedes that police alone cannot deal with violent crimes in SA

The operations entailed cordons and searches, intelligence-driven, multidisciplinary and disruptive operations.

“In July alone, a total of 1 173 illegal firearms and 7 738 rounds of live ammunition were confiscated countrywide; 1 035 of the confiscated firearms were found in Gauteng. Some of the firearms, ammunition and dangerous weapons were seized during roadblocks,” he said.

Masemola said 22 320 suspects had been arrested across the country in July for crimes committed.

“[A total of] 3 193 of these suspects were arrested for assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, 576 [were] for murder, 360 attempted murders, 432 for rape and 177 for sexual offences,” he said.

Masemola said the shootings last month were not organised crime-related. He said police were investigating the motives behind the attacks and they suggested they were extortion and drug related.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za

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