Members of the Diplomatic Core, Councillor Generals
From China, Mr Hau
From Tunisia, Mr Gierdien
From Botswana, Mr Magabisela
Deputy National Commissioners Dramat and Stander
Divisional commissioners
Provincial commissioners of the Western Cape, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape
Councillor Smith
Commissioners, senior Officials and station commissioners
All protocol observed
It is on occasion like this that we gather to celebrate prestige. We celebrate the gallant police women and men who are flying the South African Police Service flag to the desired and admirable heights in the fight against crime. The prestige is an honour in the South African Police Service; in fact it has brought us here to honour the deserving.
We are to celebrate the bravery of these athletes, the athletes who risk their lives everyday to ensure that we are safe in our homes, streets, community parks, and everywhere in our country. We are happy and we are hopeful that next year when we meet again to celebrate the prestige of our constitution protection martyrs, the Prestige Awards judges will tell us that it was difficult to come out with a specific winner because all the police stations and police officers had 100 percent convictions. We must make it difficult for the judges of these Prestige Awards.
On my way to the airport this morning, I had the opportunity to read a newspaper editorial about 'weight divisions' and 'love handles' in the South African Police Service, and I hear the National Commissioner Bheki Cele, has vowed that all police officials must go the gym.
This week again members of the portfolio committee on policing also raised the matter of the weight of the police officers, saying they should be physically strong, agile and healthy, both mentally and physically, in their fight against crime. This, they say, to respond quickly when their lives are endangered by criminals on a day to day basis. Our police leadership and parliamentarians care a lot about your safety and the work you do. Hopefully in our day to day work as the police we will respond positively to the call.
This is not a suggestion that our police officers are not healthy, but it should be taken within the context that the current criminal justice system under review has been a disadvantage for the police officers who risk their lives on a day to day basis to arrest hardened criminals. The rights given to the criminals by our law make these criminals walk our streets freely and continue committing more crime.
Our system under review has been mainly about recycling of criminals. It is an action replay kind of a system. You arrest a criminal committing a crime at Adderley Street today, tomorrow is roaming the streets as if nothing has happened, and you arrest him or her again on Strand Street the following week committing another crime and he goes back to the same court. We cannot have criminal justice system that only denies people bail when they are flight risk. What about those hardened criminals who have never left South Africa? They should be free to even murder victims that are what the system dictates.
We declared war, washa tsotsi! We are watching you. We are ready for you! We are bringing war to you now. We cannot wait for the criminals to hit before we hit. We are going to shoot to kill any criminal who is endangering the lives of the people, the people who fight for our protection under the constitution. We are tired of losing police officers in the line of duty. Enough!
You take an oath: 'To Serve and Protect', you do it with love for your country but the law lets you down. We are happy the judges have also realised and acknowledged this short coming in their convention recently held in Gauteng.
The danger with this is that criminals spend more time planning a crime, and we as police officials without prior knowledge of this, respond oozing with confidence to the crime happening, these criminals have already planned for you and when you arrive BOOM, BOOM and next, another police officer gunned down in the line of duty. And you arrest these inhumane criminals, murderers, the next day we cry within the police stations to see these criminals out on bail and continuing committing crime.
As the state we are concerned about this system, we are concerned that the current system is a discouraging factor in the life of our police officials. That is why together with the Department of Justice we are working tirelessly to ensure the criminal justice system is favourable to the victims as well. Most of the victims became fatal casualties by these suspects on-bail. We are saying enough and let the victims have the right too.
We are at war; we are at war with these criminals. We should be vigilant and equal to the task, we must shoot to kill these bastards, don't worry about Section 49. You can't go to the criminals with fear that they will kill you and I can’t kill them. That is why we say we will amend Section 49.
Ladies and gentlemen
As the police service, we should pride ourselves on the conviction rate, rather than the arresting rate. We should always strive to have a solid case presented to the courts. This can assist in avoiding criminals walking in the streets freely whilst their victims remain tide to their sofas at their houses afraid to go out and buy bread. They feel unsafe to go to the convenient store just 500 meters away from home.
As police officials we should not theorise crime but act against it. At school we used to have teachers who deal with theory and those dealing with practical. As the police we are practical in approach, that is why we made a commitment that all police stations are going to be operational, from head to toe, that's non-negotiable.
President Zuma has vowed to have us exposed as ministers, deputy ministers, premiers, mayors, councillors, and all public servants by just visiting us and catching us unaware. We don't want to be caught unaware; we shall always be vigilant and honest as police service that, I will spend my time in the force honestly and respect the oath I took.
The trust of the communities we serve is in your hands, sithembele kini. Now let's be theory teachers, and for the benefit of all of us here, understand the core of the problem.
One of the most critical aspects in the national struggle for freedom according, to the National Democratic Revolution, is to bring peace, security and stability to the South African society. This approach proceeds from the premise that at the centre of this rising quality of life, also means strategic improvement in the safety and security of all citizens in their homes, streets and environment where they live, work and engage in social activities.
According the crime prevention strategy in our country, there are trio-pivotal principles in combating crime, particularly its uniquely random and violent nature in our country.
First, at the core of incidents of contact crime such as rape, murder and grievous bodily harm takes place among acquaintances in poor communities where living and social environment do not allow for decent family and social life.
Secondly, the struggle against crime specific mindset and historical conditions drive elements of the crime problem. One of them is the proliferation of firearms in the hands of civilians, greed and conspicuous consumption, the psychology of patriarchal power relations and attitudes towards weaker members of the society particularly women, children, the elderly and the people with disabilities.
Thirdly, the networks of crime have grown in their reach and sophisticated across national boundaries. Included in this are syndicates that deal with money laundering, human trafficking, cash-in-transit, ATM bombings as well as drug trafficking and abuse.
It is in this context that some in the police officers should go for retraining as an added opportunity to add value in policing in South Africa. This shall mean the resource base that we have at head office and other related offices should go down into the police officials on the ground.
We are determined to discourage an attitude that will mean that a successful police official is the one who occupies an office with a desk, a computer and a photocopier. This means a police work is not office work, a police work is a prestigious work which means a daily interaction with our community.
These will in the long run demystify misnomer that there’s no relationship between the police and the community we serve. Our police officers should be rooted in our communities. Our communities should behave by virtue of our attitude towards them and feel obliged to be our bushes and forests and territory of our defence and protection.
Ladies and gentlemen
We should therefore, as part of the national democratic transformation, be quick and commit ourselves and bring smiles on the faces of the communities, especially women, children, elderly and the people with disabilities, we serve. We must eliminate the conditions that breed social crime. This will help in creating an enabling environment for peace, security, stability, economic freedom, economic development, economic growth and social development in South Africa and the rest of the continent.
This is not mainly an issue of the police services alone, but for all government departments and the private sector. We know we are in recession, but, we cannot sit back and relax and look at President Zuma as a panacea of all the problems of South Africa and the world. We are a nation working together to do more to better the lives of our people.
Tonight we celebrate achievers. We are here to encourage others to do more in the fight against crime. We celebrate the stars. We are a nation of achievers. Tonight we are showing the country and the world that we are not just passing each other in the charge offices as if we are KCi and Jojo on stage. No, we pass each other to and from holding cells after arresting murderers, rapists ATM bombers and the likes.
Dear achiever, prestige is a process of development, not end of the road for you. This is a just, but, recognition of your individual contribution to the broader struggle of the realisation of the objectives of the South African Police Service. You are chosen not because of fear or favour but because of your immense contribution to achieve the goals of our government. We do this as a gesture of appreciation and as an act to inspire those you work with to do the same. We are celebrating the good work you have shown. We expect more and more.
Thank you.
Issued by: South African Police Service
8 August 2009
