Programme Director, Mr Koos Radebe;
CEO of Tracker Network, Mr. Alan Hutcheson;
Members of Tracker Network Board;
Management of Tracker Network;
Distinguished Guests;
Members of the media;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Kindly accept my sincerest apologies for not being able to honour and share this occasion with you as I am currently overseas on other official engagements. Despite the long distance separating us at this moment, I would like to share my congratulatory sentiments of the 2011 Tracker National Awards Ceremony Awards. These Awards are a true epitome and a shining example of a multi-stakeholder initiative that is geared towards combating crime in our country.
As the police leadership and management, we view Tracker as an important role-player and partner in our goal of effectively dealing with crime. Due to the shifting nature of crime in South Africa, we believe it is important to constantly re-evaluate our approach to fight crime, especially violent and serious crimes.
The release of the South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics for the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 could not have been equated to an occasion about statistics, numerics and graphs; rather it was a reflection on the path we had traversed in the past twelve months. The statistics showed, and supported by the positive reaction of most commentators, that government is making progress in some areas, there are instance where we are reaching stability and there are types of crimes which are still a challenge.
Some of the highlights included the decrease in contact crime. The successes we achieved with regard to the trio crimes (that is, house robberies, business robberies and vehicles hijacking) were not coincidental as we noted a positive the 10,7% decrease in trio crimes. We further recognise that dealing with these sorts of crimes is not only dependent on police but it is a societal challenge which therefore requires a coordinated effort.
We are encouraged by the constant decline in aggravated robberies over the last two years. We believe that some of our initiatives in addressing this form of crime are starting to yield success but we shall continue to work harder and smarter, to reduce this form of crime. We further positively noted that during the 2010/2011 financial year, robbery with aggravating circumstances ratio decreased by 12,0%.
As government, we believe that improvements in both our detection and conviction rates are as significant contributing factor to this decline; as is our approach to increasing police visibility and targeted visible police interventions. In addition the strong emphasis we have placed on building partnerships has also impacted positively on such crimes.
Another area where the tide is beginning to turn against criminals is in the area of car hijackings. For the last three years this form of crime was starting to gradually increase. Over the last two years we have been able not only to stabilise this form of crime but our figures for 2010/11 are the lowest seen since 2003/04. For the first time in eight years the figure has dropped below 10 700. For the 2010/11 financial year, car hijacking decreased by 23,6%.
During engagements with various stakeholder including Tracker, as well as the South African Insurance Crime Bureau, we noted that your statistics also indicated that you were also experiencing significant decline in cases of theft of vehicles. Again we want to emphasise that such successes were not achieved coincidentally, but through intensified operations, proper policing, changes in legislations, commitment from both police and society; and importantly through a tough stance that says: enough is enough about crime!
Furthermore, this was firmly supported by our strategy to tackle crime and giving expression to government’s prioritisation, through a multi-facetted approach. We have never shied away from a reality that the criminal justice system’s value-chain that involves police, justice, correctional services, home affairs, etc needs to be strengthened. To this end, we are beginning to make progress and we shall continue to ensure that this value-chain remains effective.
We are now focusing more on ensuring the post the arrest phase, that criminals receive the harshest sentence. Police, through doing a good job in the investigations, can influence an outcome of a case. This is what we term the ground work.
Sadly, each year as we reflect on our successes in the fight against crime, we also lose our gallant heroes, our police members. In their honour, we also have begun to ensure that their families, whom they leave behind, are taken care of.
In their memory we must, together, continue to improve our capacity to deliver a crushing blow to crime and those who commit it. This is our conviction, our purpose and a debt we profoundly owe to them. In their memory we must, together, as members of the SAPS, serve our society with dedication, humility and care.
The establishment of the Tracker-SAPS Bursary Fund is but one of most commendable undertakings which has been spearheaded by Tracker. Indeed Tracker is walking the talk and we commend you. We are pleased to learn that that the children of our fallen police officers are being provided with the most powerful weapon on earth: education. By providing these children with a tertiary education, Tracker has created a life-long legacy for their parents.
To the learners and recipients, for Tracker to continuously fund you as they are doing, we believe that this will have a lasting impact in your futures and therefore urge you to focus on your studies to ensure you create a better South Africa. Dealing with crime in our country does not only require committed men and women, but also educated individuals. We commend Tracker for this remarkable initiative and we look forward to getting some progress reports on your development and progress in your studies.
As police leadership and management, we are under no illusion that there are no quick fix solutions to policing challenges in South Africa. We do believe that over the last year we have begun to put in place processes that are not only yielding some successes, but will also become the building blocks for the Police Service we envisage.
The 2010/2011 financial year crime statistics confirm our assertion that indeed the tide against crime is turning and that police, joined by society are gaining an upper hand against vicious criminals. The statistics however, should serve as a motivating factor and encouragement in all our efforts.
It is increasingly becoming obvious that things cannot be done the same old way. Things must be done smarter and faster. Through intensified partnerships, the tide is now turning. More and more South Africans are joining this crusade.
Congratulations to all the recipients of the Awards, may these inspire you to excel even more.
I thank you.
Message of Support by the Minister of Police, E.N. Mthethwa on the occasion of the Tracker Awards,Velmore Hotel, Centurion, Gauteng
