A thematic question that frames the background to the 'Towards a Coherent Strategy for Crime Reduction in South Africa Beyond 2010' conference was whether South Africa should have a coherent strategy for crime prevention, said Institute for Security Studies (ISS) executive director Dr Jakkie Cilliers.

The conference, which was held in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, from December 1 to 2, presented research, information and analysis that would contribute towards a better understanding of crime, crime prevention and criminal justice in South Africa and internationally.

“We had a National Crime Prevention Strategy that was adopted in 1996, but for various reasons, this strategy was largely not implemented. This has raised debates about whether or not the country should have a strategy.

“Some argue that crime as a complex and dynamic social challenge cannot adequately be addressed by a single strategy and that it is not feasible to develop one. However, proponents argue that without a strategy that guides a wide range of role-players that are not typically seen as having a clear role to play, such as local government, the Department of Education or academic institutions, crime prevention remains a sole preserve of the policies and supporting criminal justices departments. This, therefore results in an inadequate State driven response to the challenge,” said Cilliers.

He added that the conference also aimed to contribute to debate and provide different role players with new ideas about the type of approaches and initiatives that allowed for the recognition of the greater participation required if the country’s most pressing social challenges were to be effectively dealt with.

Cilliers said that another key aim of the conference was to stimulate thinking about the nature of crime in South Africa and how it could be better prevented or responded to by the criminal justices system and other role-players.

“The conference intends to be of benefit for a variety of stakeholders including government, private sector, civil society and the broader community,” he says.

Unfair Portrayal of South Africa and Africa

Cilliers said that he was often struck by how unfairly Africa and South Africa were portrayed.

“There is a lack of comparable crime information in most of the developing world. The ISS undertook a global study on crime for the United Nations a few years ago and only South Africa has accurate crime data in Africa. We are repeatedly told that South Africa is the crime capital of the world. We do have a serious problem in South Africa, but we need to place it in context with the challenges elsewhere in Africa.

“Crime in key African cities is much higher. The difference is that South Africa has accurate statistics and compares itself to Europe and North America instead of the developing world,” he said.

Another challenge, Cilliers said, is that there was a Western approach to the expectations for Africa. He said that the Western media portrayed Africa as the ‘black Africa’ with reference to poverty, hunger and disease. However, with the Eastern media, Africa is considered as an ‘investment opportunity.’ Cilliers referred to a recent World Bank statement, which indicated that Africa seemed poised for an economic takeoff similar to India and China some decades ago.

“South Africa has to work much harder to overcome the built-in stereotypes about the ‘darkest Africa’ in the developed world,” he said.

The ISS would be publishing a monograph on Africa 2050 early next year.

Local and Urban Phenomenon
Cilliers said that crime is a largely a local and urban phenomenon, which required local solutions.

“There are clear limits to a centralised approach to policing in particular. This cannot be achieved by tinkering on the margins with only technological solutions. Preventing and combating crime requires both as government and [a] society approach,” he added.

It was a government challenge because what was needed are an improved South African schooling system, local government, street lighting, public transport, housing and social welfare. It was a society problem because it affects cities, rural areas and Southern Africa, making it a regional development challenge.

The conference was funded by the Hanns Seidal Foundation and by the general ISS funding provided by the governments of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.