The Northern Cape MEC for Transport
The Safety and Liaison Northern Cape MEC for Education
Representatives from the Pixley Ka Seme Municipality
All Deputy National Commissioners
All Provincial and Divisional Commissioners
All members of the SAPS who are present
Leaders from different interfaith denominations who are present
Leaders from business and civic organisations who are present
Representatives of the labour unions, POPCRU and SAPU representatives Community Police Forums
Distinguished guests and members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
A very good morning to everyone present here today. Thank you for inviting me to your beautiful province. Once again I am honoured to be here today. It always give me pleasure to be among people who take their time and gather to advance a critical dialogue on how we can work together to build a secure and safer South Africa. The government’s vision on community policing, as captured in the National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Crime Prevention Strategy, obligates the South African Police Service (SAPS) to focus on, among other things, crime prevention and detection, and working in partnership with the community.
Community policing remains at the heart of our constitutional vision, and section 214 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides for the establishment of community police forums at all police stations. It is also quite motivating to note that many community members have shown interest in wanting to associate themselves with the police, having realised that they too can play a role as individuals. There is indeed a need for a closer working relationship between us as a means of collectively detecting and preventing crime in our communities.
Our plan going forward includes you, because it has become apparent to us that cohesive social structures can reduce crime rates. All our methods and tactics alone, without your participation, can only be a fruitless exercise. This gathering presents us with an opportunity to look at crime as a societal phenomenon that needs societal interaction.
Every day, thousands of members of the SAPS perform conscientious police work with pride and in honour of the badge on their chests, but all that is outdone by the few negative actions that other members may do. When some do the opposite of what we stand for in your community, inform your station commander, your CPF, your local leadership. It is high time that we come to you and talk to you and not wait for only when there is an overwhelming crisis the community is experiencing.
We have been to numerous schools all over the country to involve the youth in the fight against crime. I am pleased that government departments, civic bodies, NGOs, the business sector and different faith denominations are rallying behind the police as partners against crime. This morning, we visited the Colesberg and Umso High Schools in order to ensure that they are linked to the local police stations and that the school governing bodies and the SAPS work closely to ensure that teaching and learning take place in a safe environment.
We have been made aware that some learners are not attending school regularly and that it might be influenced by a number of factors, such as alcohol abuse, drugs or the general moral decay in our communities. I, therefore, call on all of us to ensure that children attend school, because education is the answer to various social and economic challenges that confront us.
We already have a challenge of children not going to school in Kuruman. Let me urge parents to take full responsibility of ensuring that learners go back to classes here in Colesberg. The safety of learners is one of our biggest concerns. I also urge all of us to contribute to shaping their education. Those faceless people who prevent learners from attending classes should be reported immediately.
Crime against women and children has become an everyday occurrence in our communities. I have also noted that incidents of rape also occur in this area and we should expose these heartless rapists and ensure that they are incarcerated for long periods of time. We as SAPS are doing everything in our power to ensure that cases of sexual offences are investigated thoroughly in order to secure convictions.
In our pursuits of creating a safer South Africa, we have been travelling all over the country visiting different provinces, such as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, associating ourselves with them, seeking solutions as to how we can be united and effective in the fight against crime. Ladies and gentlemen, crime is not fiction. It is happening in and around our communities. Recently we have seen the pervasiveness of crimes perpetrated against our children. In Reiger Park, we witnessed a horrific incident where Taegrin Morris, a toddler, lost his life to senseless criminals who have no respect whatsoever for our community and our children. May his soul rest in peace. A caring society cannot fold arms and sit back while gruesome incidents of this nature thrive in our communities.
In this regard, Community Police Forums have a critical role to play in bringing policing closer and closer to our communities. We have a lot of work to do still. Ladies and gentlemen, we want to be legitimate and welcomed not only in this province, but in all the avenues of this country; and we want to be respected by you and not feared by you. When you see a man or a woman in blue, we want you to see help. It is therefore our aim to establish affiliations and partnerships to root out crime in this province.
We are doing a lot within our ranks to root out those who wear the blue uniform, yet bring shame and dishonour to it. We want you to be part of that, because you live with the police and see their conduct. We have, therefore, revised our recruiting strategy. We now involve the communities when recruiting our police members, because you know them well and better than us. Going forward, names of the recruits will be presented to you. Their names will be left to your scrutiny before they become part of the SAPS. We want you to be the cornerstone of community policing in every way possible.
We cannot allow a situation where we are seen as corrupt, which results in you ending up being reluctant to report cases, because you feel we will not look into them anyway. We must start shaping up our integrity and solidifying trust between ourselves. You have to know and feel that from the National Commissioner of your police service to the lowest subordinate in our ranks, we are fully determined to improve our service delivery to you. We are here, because we are determined to root out crime and make South Africa a safe and secure country.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am confident that the effective implementation of this programme will contribute to improving the functionality of community policing structures, enhancing the functionality of sector policing, maximising the involvement of communities in crime-prevention initiatives, educating communities about policing, improving police-community relationships, improving the image of the SAPS among communities, reducing crime in this area and South Africa in general, and improving confidence in our policing.
Ladies and gentlemen, by thinking, planning and acting together, we can accomplish a lot more than what we can achieve in isolation. Join CPFs and any other recognised organisation that is partnering with the SAPS in the fight against crime and have a say in how policing is conducted in your community.
Through strengthened relationships we will be able to prevent more crimes by always reacting to crimes. United we stand, divided we fall.
Thank you.
Media enquiries:
Lieutenant General SM Makgale
E-mail: solomon.makgale@saps.gov.za
Tel: 012 393 2940/ 2630
Cell: 082 781 8863
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