Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s priorities sound impressive on paper, however, the effectiveness of these will be judged upon implementation as crime statistics remain high.
This was the view of a crime expert, after Mchunu outlined the priorities for his ministry on Monday.
The list includes training, investment in technology, cracking down on corruption, crime intelligence and legislative amendments.
“The crime levels in the country are on the increase and are intolerable. We need to act decisively and bring this under control. The levels and type of crime differ from one province to the other. We need to take this into account as we implement the integrated National Crime Prevention Strategy,” Mchunu said.
Leading crimes in the country were contact crimes such as murders and rape, as well as hijackings and kidnappings for ransom payments, and crimes against women and children.
The minister noted that gang violence was also on the rise, noticeably in the Western Cape, and the situation must be brought under control “so that children in the Cape Flats, Khayelitsha (Site C), parts of Nelson Mandela Bay and parts of Gauteng can be able to play in the streets without fear of being hit by stray bullets”.
His plan includes uprooting corruption, and professionalisation of the police service.
He added that firearm control was also high on the agenda, and that they would be prioritising the roll-out of new technologies to “detect and deter crimes”.
“Advanced technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, surveillance systems and digital communication tools enable police to better predict, prevent, and respond to criminal activities.”
The minister recognised crime intelligence as the backbone of policing and said it would be an apex priority.
“Robust crime intelligence capabilities are essential for maintaining public safety, reducing crime rates, and fostering a secure environment for communities. Certainly, our budget on this matter needs to be reviewed,” he said.
Unisa lecturer in the department of police practice, Prof Dumisani Mabunda said while the minister’s plans were good on paper, their effectiveness could only be measured after implementation.
“All these priorities are contained in the National Development Plan (NDP 2030) and also contained in various SAPS Strategic Plans, but the crime level keeps rising. Despite all these grand plans, the rising crime level is evidenced upon the release of each quarterly crime statistics. Perhaps it will be fair to give the minister at least 100 days to allow him to put systems in place.
“Lastly, the exodus of experienced police officers due to various reasons leaves a vacuum. This means that detection and investigation burdens on existing personnel will continue to result in a lot of cases being thrown out of courts due to lack, or insufficient evidence,” Mabunda said.
Crime expert Calvin Rafadi said welcoming the input of all stakeholders in resolving crime was a step in the right direction.
He added that red tape in releasing some of the equipment/technology in dealing with crime was “hampering the real time of success”.
“(The minister) is also acknowledging that crime intelligence is the backbone of policing.
“The structure of crime intelligence needs to change in order for us to resolve organised crime. He needs to change the leadership because they do not understand their mandate.”
Cape Times