Community Safety MEC says low crime stats are no reason to celebrate
These were the words of the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Dickson Masemola, shortly after the 2018/19 crime statistics were released at the Seshego Police Station's Lapa last week.
POLOKWANE – Despite being among the provinces with the lowest crime stats, there is little to celebrate, since crime still affects citizens every day. These were the words of the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Dickson Masemola, shortly after the 2018/19 crime statistics were released at the Seshego Police Station’s Lapa last week.
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“The statistics that have been put forward are an articulation of the work done by the men and women in blue. Though nationally we are doing okay, comparatively speaking, domestically we know we are not. We are here to say to the people of the province that your safety is our concern and we have to confront the realities of crime and criminality together,” he said.
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Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieut Genl Nneke Ledwaba said during the briefing that the statistics give an overview of the crime trends over the past 10 years. “It tells us that we need to go and develop a strategy for the betterment of the crime stats. The national statistics are a mechanism to account to the public about the status of crime in the province. Today’s engagement seeks to inform and tabulate Limpopo statistics. The presentation will serve as a yardstick to gauge the level and intensity of our crime-fighting strategies,” he said. He said he noted the continued incidence of mob justice, which he said impacted on the province’s murder statistics.
“They double the number of murder incidences and make it look as if the police are failing in the prevention of crime. When one dies at the hand of criminals and the community decides to avenge, we remain with the challenge of investigating multiple cases of murder, instead of one.” He said he condemned incidences of mob justice: “We cannot allow a situation where the very people who are supposed to assist us in arresting criminals are the very ones that are committing crime in the name of justice,” he said.
