Enough is enough, crime is out of control
RANDBURG - I believe we need much harsher punishment for criminals in this country. I am not an advocate for the death penalty, but if you know that, all that awaits you is a comfortable jail cell, it is easy to go around hurting people.
Crime is out of control in South Africa.
Murder, rape, assault, theft, hijacking and other criminal activities dominate newspaper headlines every day. Although you or someone you know might have been victims of crime, most of us rarely take notice or choose to ignore the headlines as the crime statistics sky rocket every year.
However, some of the stories are so unthinkable you cannot imagine that human beings can be so cruel. Someone I know, recently told me that her sister’s seven-year-old son was abducted in Diepsloot, an informal settlement near Fourways. Sadly, the child’s mutilated body was found in Mozambique, two months later. I am acutely aware that, I cannot base my argument on a single incident, but it is just as worrying, even if, it is a single violent incident. During his state of national address, President Jacob Zuma claimed that, the overall crime rate had decreased in 2012/2013 statistics. But, other legal institutions, including the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), disagreed with his claim, they argued that he used old statistics. Indeed, one is mindful of the efforts that have been made by the police in fighting crime, but there is still room for improvement. As the Easter holidays are behind us, I would like to know how many criminal activities were recorded and how many culprits were arrested?
I wonder, how criminals justify to themselves that, what they are doing is okay? What goes on in their minds while they are committing crime? How do they sleep at night or look at themselves in the mirror?
I believe we need much harsher punishment for criminals in this country. I am not an advocate for the death penalty, but if you know that, all that awaits you is a comfortable jail cell, it is easy to go around hurting people. And that is, only if you get caught. Despite the overwhelmingly negative crime statistics, there is still hope, as it is only a small portion of the population who commit crime. It is up to each and every law abiding citizen to stand up and help the police fight crime. If you see someone committing a crime, don’t look the other way, do the right thing and report it to the police. I believe, if we all stand up against crime and report wrong doing, we can win the war on crime.
Crime line: Send your anonymous tip-offs to 32211.
