by Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula
1 August 2006
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cabinet cluster has
decided to follow a two-pronged strategy in the fight against crime in South
Africa. The strategy was submitted to and endorsed by Cabinet at its Lekgotla
last week.
The strategy, while confirming the central role of law enforcement agencies
in the fight against crime picks up, also, on the principle of community
involvement and the establishment of partnerships as key instruments in crime
prevention and combating. The concept was first raised in 1992 at a conference
of the African National Congress, where policy was being shaped on how to
police a democratic South Africa.
The JCPS briefed Cabinet on the various crime-types that affect South
Africa, especially those that threaten or take the lives of people.
Organised crime
Cabinet reiterated the position that the law enforcement agencies should do
more to achieve the targets that have been set to reduce the levels of crime
annually, particularly serious and violent crime, by between seven percent and
ten percent. It was agreed that organised crime should receive particular
attention.
The crime of robbery aggravated took centre stage towards the end of 2005
and again in the past six months this year. Most instances of the crime were
part of organised crime, targeting banks and other financial institutions, as
well as malls. Some of the robberies happened on the freeways when the
criminals targeted vehicles carrying money across the country.
Arrests
There are cases that are before court currently arising from some of the
successes the police have registered regarding aggravated robbery. They include
a case against 17 suspects who were arrested in connection with the robbery on
March 25, at the Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) from an aeroplane
that had arrived that morning from London. Originally 18 suspects had been
arrested. One of them died from injuries sustained in a shootout with the
police during arrest.
The other arrests relate to the cash-in-transit heists at Gingindlovu (nine
suspects), Colenso (seven suspects, who also face charges of murder) and
Modderfontein (two suspects). Nine suspects were arrested following the robbery
of more than R50 million from a Selby bank cash depot. All the money was
recovered when the police intercepted the robbers.
The arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the Lyttleton bank robbery in
September last year helped the police with information linking the suspects to
15 other cases in Delmas (CAS 32/01/05), Mtubatuba (CAS 231/02/05), Brooklyn
(CAS 669/02/05), Witbank (CAS 25/05/05), Yeoville (CAS 56/05/05), Ventersdorp
(CAS 71/08/05), Bronkhorstspruit (CAS 254/08/05), Sandton (CAS 117/09/05),
Burgersfort (CAS 161/09/05), Durban Central (CAS 1991/10/05), Lyttelton (CAS
128/11/05), Witbank (CAS 324/12/05), Randburg (CAS 630/12/05), Mafikeng (CAS
91/02/06) and Marble Hall (CAS 72/03/06).
Other information has connected several suspects to robberies in
Douglasdale, Springs, Rosebank, Hillbrow, Giyani, Boksburg, Honeydew,
Heidelberg, Bramley and Algoa Park. There are ten more cases that are pending
regarding organised crime.
Criminals who are part of organised crime operate in units of small and
large groups that come from all corners of South Africa as well as across our
borders. A list has been compiled by the police of some 250 individuals who are
part of organised aggravated robberies. There are at least 2 899 foreigners,
sentenced and awaiting trial, who were arrested for serious and violent crimes
(1 310), commercial crimes (879), drugs (314) sexual offences (161) and common
robberies (235)
There are 84 959 inmates in our correctional detention centres for serious
and violent crimes, including murder. Almost a third is un-sentenced inmates,
whose cases are still before court. There are 35 762 detainees from the 155 153
inmates in our correctional detention centres (including 42 438 awaiting trial
detainees) who were arrested for various types of commercial crimes.
Sexual crimes account for 17 881 sentenced inmates and 7 026 awaiting trial
detainees.
Social crime
The police will continue to deal with social fabric crimes or a serious and
violent nature including murder, serious assault and rape. A recent analysis of
9 623 dockets has indicated that in 81,5% of the murders the perpetrators were
known to the victims and in 46% of those cases the perpetrators were relatives,
friends or acquaintances of the victims. The figures for serious and violent
assault indicated that in 89,1% cases the perpetrators were known to the victim
(72,9% were relatives, friends or acquaintances), while in 75,9% rape cases the
perpetrators were known to the victims (57% perpetrators being relatives,
friends or acquaintances of the victims).
The cases are difficult to investigate because of the relationship between
victims and perpetrators where levels of intimidation and family pressures are
very high. Many of the cases, consequently, are withdrawn and do not reach
court.
Access to alcohol and drugs, firearms and other dangerous weapons contribute
to increased levels of violence and the degree of injury associated with
contact crime.
School safety
The Safer Schools programme is a partnership between the South African
Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Education, which focuses on
ensuring a safe learning environment. This programme is implemented jointly at
provincial level and addresses issues such as drugs and firearms in schools,
sexual offences and bullying.
We need to ensure that communities are involved in this programme through
the School Governing Bodies and School Safety Committees. Through this we
facilitate and manage the national roll out of the Tiisa Thuto programme in
co-operation with Business against Crime.
The primary aim of Tiisa Thuto is to fight school community based crime
through the inculcation of a positive value system among the entire members of
the school community, and in the process contributes towards the heightening of
a sense of schools ownership by their respective communities, and creation of
conditions and/or culture conducive for effective teaching, learning, and
support to happen.
Tiisa Thuto is a school community based crime prevention programme that has
as its core beneficiaries learners, educators, parents, and members of the
School Governing Bodies. The Minister for Education in conjunction with the
Ministry for Safety and Security launched this program in the Free State last
Saturday.
Court performance
The performance of our courts continues to receive special attention. There
were visible signs between 2004 and 2005 of commendable improvement in the
disposal of cases in the higher and lower courts. Only eight percent of the
outstanding cases on the High Court rolls were longer than 12 months by the end
of the 2005/06 financial year.
There has been an improvement also in the conviction rate in our courts. In
the High Courts we reached 85%, 70% in the Regional Courts and 87% at District
level.
Despite the improvements the case backlog continues to be a drawback. The
non-attendance of court proceedings by suspects sees a monthly average of 15
155 warrants of arrest. Incomplete investigations add to the problems our
courts have to confront.
The National Prosecuting Authority is working closely with police
investigators to improve the quality of investigations and docket management.
The Case Flow Management system is a strategic intervention that is beginning
to yield constructive outcomes.
New plans
In the six months ending on 31 December, the police and other law
enforcement agencies are going to concentrate their effort on organised crime,
especially organised aggravated robbery. The agencies are working together with
Business against Crime, the South African Banking Council and the South African
Reserve Bank to improve security measures to curb aggravated robbery.
Special teams have been established in the provinces to deal with organised
crime, while other teams will concentrate on finding suspects against whom
there are outstanding warrants of arrest. Our intelligence units have been put
on alert to gather relevant information to facilitate investigations.
All border control measures are being reviewed to deal with cross-border
crime. A National Border Control and Security Strategy has been finalised and a
National Border Control Centre has been established to house the project
regarding border control and security. All requirements regarding personnel,
information, communications and technology as well as security infrastructure
will be in place by the end of August.
An electronic sensor committee has been established as a separate entity to
expand South Africaâs radar footprint.
The JCPS is worried about the violent nature of crime in South Africa.
Cabinet has endorsed a recommendation to commission a study on the matter by
the Institute for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation. Draft terms of
reference are being formulated for presentation to Cabinet.
The national response to crime also includes the mobilisation of the masses
of our people to participate in an anti-crime strategy involving a number of
stakeholders within civil society, including the various religious
denominations.
Issued by: Department of Safety and Security
1 August 2006
