National Commissioner of Police, General Riah Phiyega,
All SAPS Deputy National Commissioners,
All SAPS Provincial and Divisional Commissioners,
Executive Mayor of Eden District Municipality, Mr Wessie van der Westhuizen,
Representatives from other Government Departments,
Representatives from Business,
Representatives from Community Policing Forums present,
Representatives from Youth formations and Civic Organisations,
Distinguished guests,
Community of George and surrounding areas,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen.
The current African National Congress (ANC) government was re-elected into office based on five key areas that include intensification of the fight against crime. Among the strategies we employed in realising this objective was to strengthen partnership between police and society.
During festive seasons there is movement of people across provinces due to tourism, holidays, increase of activities at places of entertainment, shopping and migrant workers returning to their homes. This is also a period when ports of entries are busy because of the movement of persons in and out of the country.
Every festive season also affords families to come together under the spirit of goodwill and strengthening social cohesion. However, criminal acts such as robbery, murder and hijackings stand in direct opposite of this goodwill thus creating a sense of fear and anxiety during the same period.
During this period, there is an increased movement of large sums of money like individuals receiving their bonuses and groups (stokvel associations) withdrawing large savings as well as schools receiving admission funds. Such transactions and financial movements, unfortunately, also provide opportunities for criminals to commit crimes like bank robberies, cash in transit heists, ATM bombings, armed robbery and theft.
Our experience further indicates that traditionally a lot of shopping takes place during festive season. In addition as migrant workers go in and out of the country, a lot of bribery, drug and human trafficking, stock theft, vehicle smuggling, counterfeit goods, illegal immigrants, illegal firearms and ammunitions are taking place along borderlines and ports of entry.
Informed by these trends, it is therefore incumbent upon government to put in place preventative safety measures that are underpinned by partnerships with communities. The South African Police Service (SAPS) as the lead agency of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) spearheads these operations.
We are in this community of George today to launch the National Duty Calls Festive Season crime fighting campaign. The operations officially began on the 15 October 2013 and will end on 31 January 2014.
The aim of this operation is amongst others to raise awareness amongst the people about the normal rise in petty crime during this time of the year. We are also intensifying partnership with society in the fight against crime as well as intensifying police visibility during the period.
This campaign centres around six pillars focusing on aggravated robberies, border security, illegal firearms, liquor and Second Hand Goods Act enforcement, by-law enforcements and road safety enforcement. This year in particular, we shall be having a concerted focus at crimes against women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly.
Police will embark on various policing operations countrywide, interacting with communities, business sectors and various organised structures with an objective of intensifying the fight against crime.
We wish to utilize this year’s campaign to reiterate government’s commitment in eradicating violence against women, children and the elderly. We understand that crimes such as rape and sexual offences affect different communities, irrespective of their socio-economic status and background.
Whilst the police will continue to arrest those who commit crime, a greater and growing awareness among parents/guardians to look after and protect children, must be intensified within society.
Let us strengthen our collective efforts against child abuse, neglect and exploitation. Members of society, including children, must work together with law-enforcement agencies in combating abuse, neglect and exploitation of our children.
We should however become alert to the fact that the wellbeing and moral upliftment of children, is not apportioned to policing. You have a responsibility as parents and society in general to protect your children against drug abuse. It cannot be left to government alone to deal with this challenge.
We are here to make a clarion call to all communities around the country to work with government and police to raise awareness of the scourge of substance abuse. We are particularly pleased to see the presence of young people at this launch.
We want to say that young people, these criminals who sell you drugs are not interested in your well-being. These drug lords are hell-bent on destroying your future. Do not get hooked because that will be the beginning of the destruction of your lives.
Furthermore, SAPS in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education, will continue to implement various preventative programmes in support of safer schools. The aim of school-based crime prevention programmes is geared at making schools a safe and secure environment free from violence and crime, conducive for learning. The focus however is to build resistance and resilience amongst learners to crime and violence and also from victimisation and offending behaviour.
From a policing perspective, our focus has shifted from targeting and arresting the sniffers towards crippling the drug syndicates. This shift was informed by our observation that whilst we focused on the sniffers in the past, the ‘big bosses’ are still at large without any remorse of the kind of damage they are inflicting on the youth.
It is a sad reality and a fact that most of the drug victims are getting younger. The prevalent crimes that are committed include burglary (residential) and that most items stolen are easily sold to sustain drug habits. When we passed the Second-Hand Goods Act, 2009 (Act No 6 of 2009), which came into effect on 1 May 2012, our intervention by and large was targeting to address such criminal acts.
In essence, the Act stipulates that any person who buys a stolen good is as guilty as the person who stole the goods; and harsher sentences will apply to both the buyer and the thief. Now with the new law, both the buyer and the seller both face a prison sentence of up to 10 years, which in the past was 10 months. This demonstrates our resolve in ensuring that the perpetrators face the wrath of the law.
Our message to the community of George where we are today is to refrain from buying stolen goods because this perpetuates criminality. We must actively participate in community policing forums. We must stop buying stolen goods, instead must report criminals and assist the police with information to catch wrongdoers. In this way, we will move forward towards a crime-free society.
We also want to utilize this occasion to correct some of the misconceptions around rural safety. The festive season crime combatting operation we are launching today is not solely focused around urban cities.
The seriousness of continued acts of violence against rural communities, as well as the high levels of stock theft requires that a concerted effort by farmers, rural communities, farm workers and the police to combat this scourge is intensified.
The rural safety plan that we have started to roll out in various provinces has resulted in the arrest and prosecution of those who are found to be involved in wrongdoing. We are aware that more still needs to be done and hence we require the support of rural communities.
To this end, these crimes should not be racialized as we have seen some in society doing so to the detriment and compromise of our crime reduction efforts. Crime is our common enemy; it affects all of us irrespective of colour, creed, gender or socio-economic status. As government we remain committed partner with communities to find solutions to the challenges of poverty, social security and social development challenges.
Together we can do more to ensure a safe festive season and beyond.
I thank you!
