MBEKI TAKLES CRIME CRISIS

Mbeki tackles crime crisis
February 09 2007 at 11:59AM
By Angela QuintalPresident Thabo Mbeki has given the nation what many have been crying for, an acknowledgement that crime is a problem and it is affecting the very fabric of South African society.He acknowledged that the fight against it needed to be stepped up and provided concrete examples of how the war against crime would be stepped up several gears.“Certainly we cannot erase that which is ugly and repulsive and claim the happiness that comes with freedom if communities live in fear, closeted behind walls and barbed wire, ever anxious in their houses, on the streets and on our roads, unable freely to enjoy our public spaces,” he said in his state of the nation address.”
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'Bring the department of home affairs to full capacity'While strides had been made and some targets surpassed, including employing 152 000 police officers, “we recognise the fact that the impact of this is not high enough for everybody to feel a better sense of safety and security”.Mbeki acknowledged that the incidence of most contact crime had been reduced, but that the annual reduction rate in categories such as robbery, assault and murder, was still below the 7 to 10 percent that had been targeted.The abuse of women and children continued at an unacceptable level, he said.He noted that last year’s security workers’ strike had brought home to all South Africans that the industry could not be handled simply as a private affair or the private sector.The regulatory system was inadequate and would be reviewed this year, Mbeki announced.“In addition to improving the work of the police, we can - together with the private security industry - create an environment in which the security expectations of the public, in which huge resources are expended, are actually met”.Mbeki’s ninth and last state of the nation address was delivered at a time of heightened debate about crime and his perceived indifference to how it affects all South Africans.The president called for “an enduring partnership in actual practice within our communities and between the communities and the police, to make life more and more difficult for the criminals”.Mbeki said he was heartened by the resolve shown by business and religious leaders to strengthen such partnerships on the ground, and to give of their time and resources to strengthen the fight against crime. “Government will play its part to ensure that these partnerships actually work, and that we all act together to discharge the responsibility to protect our citizens.”Mbeki said the Ministry of Safety and Security and the Police Service were working on proposals to further improve the functioning and effectiveness of Community Police Forums Mbeki told MPs, that in addition to many ongoing programmes that had been implement government would this year;
continue to improve the remuneration and working conditions of the police, increasing the total number of police officers to more than 180 000 within three years, and ensure the optimal use of the electronic monitoring and evaluation system that has just been introduced;
bring the forensic laboratories which had been equipped with the latest technology, to full capacity, and ensure the optimum use of the finger-print database;
bring the department of home affairs to full capacity, by filling vacant posts, improving systems and implementing other recommendations of the Task Team that has been working with the Minister to improve the work of this vital institution;
implement the recommendations of the Khampepe Commission on the mandate and operations of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions);
modernise the South African Revenue Services’ systems, especially in respect of border control, and improve the work of the inter-departmental co-ordinating structures in this regard;
intensify intelligence work on organised crime, building on the successes that have been achieved in the last few months in dealing with cash-in-transit heists, drug trafficking and poaching of game and abalone;
use new technology provided to the justice system to improve management of the courts and the prosecution service to massively reduce case backlogs;
transform the judiciary and improve its functioning, “in consultation with this eminent institution of our democracy”;
build more corrections facilities;
boost intelligence agencies’ capacity, while ensuring that they operate within the Constitution and laws at all times; and
improve analysis of crime trends to improve crime prevention and crime combating.”In this regard, we must respond to the cold reality that, as in other countries, the overwhelming majority of violent crimes against the person occur in the most socio-economically deprived areas of our country and require strong and sustained community interventions focused on crime prevention.” Meanwhile, the findings of a Markinor survey released on the eve of the state of the nation address, found that 73 percent of South Africans were happy with Mbeki’s performance and 82 percent agreed that he could be trusted to do what was best for the country.The poll was conducted, however, in December, before the high profile murders that have added to the recent debate, as well concerns from business and the recent FNB anti-crime campaign that fuelled the controversy.The survey conducted in December among 3 500 respondents, showed Mbeki lost support when it came to his performance rating - down by six percent from the 79 percent he received in May last year - but that he was still rated higher than during his first term as president.Markinor director Mari Harris said Mbeki’s personal rating was far higher than the performance ratings for national, provincial and local government.