Picture: Neil McCartney
Crime-busting operations seem like a good idea, but if you don’t have support in place – such as detectives and forensic services – then you’re not going to see many cases actually ending up in court, says a crime and security expert.
Willem Els, senior training coordinator at Institute for Security Studies (ISS), was commenting on the recent “Operation Shanela” in Tshwane, in which 357 suspects were arrested for various crimes.
The operation was spearheaded by Brigadier Samuel Thine, acting district commissioner of Tshwane, in collaboration with departments such as Home Affairs, Gauteng traffic, Tshwane Metro Police and community policing forums.
Warrant officer Johan van Dyk, communication coordinator at the Tshwane District, said officers from different Saps stations also participated.
“The actions included patrols in crime-prone areas, compliance inspections and crackdowns on illegal alcohol sales,” he said.
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“Tshwane’s detective teams arrested 292 suspects, including those involved in serious crimes: 72 for gender-based violence, three for murder, one for attempted murder, eight for armed robbery, and one for rape,” Van Dyk said.
But Els blames the action on a shortage of personnel.
“The police are short of about 8 000 detectives and some are carrying 300 case files at a time.
“How can you investigate 300 cases? In many stations, three or four detectives have to share one vehicle. How can they effectively investigate cases if they are confined to a desk with just a telephone?” he asked.
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Els said those arrested had to be charged and investigated. Case files and dockets needed to be investigated before they could go to court.
“The problem is the police don’t have the capacity. They just don’t have the detectives to do that. So what are we going to do with those people? That is the drawback,” Els said.
“Our police structure is sick at the moment. It is lopsided because if you look at the amount of resources and money that goes to the salaries just at the top, think how many detectives you could have appointed.”
Enhancing resource allocation and maintaining operational secrecy could further improve an operation’s success.
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“What we did in the old days was get the military to seal off the area so criminals can’t run once you start the operation.
“Partnerships with security companies strengthen the hand of the police. They should keep operational plans confidential to prevent corrupt officers from warning criminals.”
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