What is spiritual crime prevention and is it prevelant?
Spiritual crime prevention is a community-based approach established by the National Commissioner in 2019 and aims to address various crimes prevalent in communities.
POLOKWANE – “The police have recently found a new way of dealing with incomprehensible cases such as the potential manifestation of demons at a crime scene.”
These are the words of Polokwane Victim Empowerment Centre member and Community Policing Forum Secretary, Sergeant Valerie Maloba, while explaining to the Polokwane Observer what the concept of spiritual crime prevention is.
Maloba said it is a community-based approach that was established by the National Commissioner in 2019 and aims to address various crimes prevalent in communities.
It also aims at assisting communities in bringing people and resources together to prevent and control crime.
It is a cause that would come in handy during the festive season which is a more spiritually embraced period for many people in South Africa.
In collaboration with spiritual leaders, whom they call when a situation permits, former national commissioner Khehla Sithole commissioned the strategy in 2020 according to the following five pillars: The strengthening of family establishments, the establishment of Crime Prevention Support Desks in faith based organisations, youth development, moral regeneration, and prison ministry and community offender re-integration.
Maloba says the strategy has worked for them as some criminal elements needed spiritual deliverance and not complicated analogies of police.
“We also call on sangomas through individual permission to help us identify problems and eventually we help the person and give them counselling,” she adds.
