R Baloyi: Opening of Paarl East Police Station

17 April 2009

Programme director
Mayor of Drakenstein Mrs C Manuel
Deputy National Commissioner
Provincial Commissioner Mzwandile Petros
Community Policing Forum Chairperson Ms Davids
Reverend Magerman
Members of our South African Police Service (SAPS)
Leaders of the various community organisations of Paarl
Ladies and gentlemen

It is a great privilege and honour for me to address you on this important
occasion; we are here for the opening of another service delivery point. This
is government's ongoing effort to expand the provision of quality services to
all South Africans.

The opening of the Paarl East Police Station and victim support centre makes
an important contribution to the national effort aimed at the realisation of
the safety and security of all South Africans.

In 1994, the country inherited multiple criminal justice and security
systems that primarily prioritised the defence of apartheid.

But under the new democratic order a new ethos was introduced into the
police service. From being defenders of apartheid, they became a force to serve
and protect all the people of South Africa.

Ladies and gentlemen, South Africans have a common future, whose realisation
demands common striving to ensure a brighter future for each, within the
context of a brighter future for all.

Our divided past has taught us to be steadfast in our unity.

It has taught us to unite in a people's contract as we overcome each
challenge on the road towards the creation of a better life for all.

Continuing on the footsteps of those who went before us, today we face the
challenge to deepen the transformation process – to do all in our power to
improve the quality of life of all South Africans.

The road ahead is long and hard. We shall nevertheless not be deterred.
Nothing will stand on our way as we work to defeat crime.

We shall deliver peace, security and comfort to all the people of our
land.

Crime undermines our effort to create a humane society.

It dehumanises the victim and the perpetrator. It wastes lives; spreads
feelings of hate and mistrust in our communities.

It undermines our effort to improve the quality of life of all the people.
Let us work together to fight crime. It is our joint responsibility.

We shall defeat crime because we have no choice but to defeat crime in all
its forms.

The construction, upgrading and refurbishing of police stations is part of
the broader programme of the African National Congress (ANC) government aimed
at expanding the delivery of services to all South Africans. Let us embrace
this programme. Let us defend it with our support and commitment.

As the SAPS and the broader safety and security cluster, we have committed
ourselves to the goal of creating a safe and secure environment for all.

We are steadfast in this mandate of serving the people.

The many challenges that we face require ongoing discussion, sharing of
ideas and experiences, and more importantly, unity in action.

We need to strengthen the social contract, to work together – as the police
and communities – to weed out the criminal elements from our midst.

We must together seek ways to defeat the crimes that are prevalent in our
communities, including house breaking, drug abuse and domestic violence.

The Code of Conduct of the Police Service commits members of the service to
participate in endeavours aimed at addressing the root causes of crime. Parents
must have the same undertaking. Civil society formations must make the same
commitment. Youth formations must be at the forefront.

We need to educate our children about the importance of good social values
and draw their attention to the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol.

Our apartheid past ensured a skewed distribution of resources. Democracy
needs to correct these imbalances. Democracy has guided us in these fifteen
years to correct these imbalances. We are here today to confirm that.

This means that we must understand that we must ensure an equitable
distribution of resources between rich and poor areas.

The Station Commissioner has assured us that work is being done on an
ongoing basis to ensure a strong Community Policing Forum (CPF).

As a free society, let us take our future into our own hands and be involved
in our own governance. Let us do all in our power to strengthen the CPF in the
area. We may not fail on this aspect, we dare not fail.

As a country, our conviction rate still needs to be improved. Mindful of
this fact, government is paying particular attention to strengthening the
detective, crime intelligence and forensic functions.

We must reiterate our government's deep concern about the current high level
of unemployment in our country and its social effects.

We believe that the cumulative impact of the totality of our transformation
effort will progressively reduce poverty and unemployment. By so doing, we will
be destroying the base from which crime seeks refuge.

Programme director, the members of our police service must be fit and
healthy. Therefore, this very beautiful and state of the art community asset
needs a gymnasium. I hope that the Station Commissioner and the Provincial
Commissioner will follow up this matter. Our men and women in uniform must look
convincing that they are ready for action.

We have to emphasise the point that alone, the Paarl East Police Station
will not win the fight against crime.

All of us, the CPF, churches, business, youth, women and other structures
must be involved. The whole community must be mobilised against crime and to
confront the causes of crime. We must work to unite our community in rejecting
violence against women and children.

All our people have a right to live their lives free from fear. They have a
right to be treated with dignity and not to be violated. Our history has taught
us to combine our energies and engage in collective action in determining our
future.

It has taught us never to surrender, even in the face of adversity. Acting
in unity, the people of Paarl can and will defeat crime. We are certain that
we, the police service, will join hands with the people collectively to honour
our responsibility to ensure safety and security for all.

We would like to congratulate all the members of our police service who, on
a daily basis, work to ensure the safety and security of all South Africans. We
know that you are faced with all sorts of risks, yet you keep the banner flying
high.

We wish all of you well as you face the daily challenges and work to secure
the upcoming elections and the FIFA Confederation Cup during the course of this
year.

Once more, let us work together in the spirit of Batho Pele.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
17 April 2009