Thank you to all of you who have come out to support the fight against drugs today. It is good to see such a united front against this important issue.

Today the people of Riverlea are taking the power back into their own hands. Today we are here at Langlaagte Police Station with a list of drug dens operating freely in this area.

We are here to tell the police: shut these drug dens down! The people of Riverlea have had enough of ineffective policing. They have had enough of those who do not respect the law, and resort to crime and violence. They are tired of not feeling safe in their own communities.

In communities such as Riverlea, the power lies with the druglords who operate here without consequences.

Desperate mothers and fathers worry about their sons and daughters. Their young children are staying out of school, committing crimes to feed their drug habits.  At a time when our country is facing a massive skills shortage among the youth, children are abandoning their education for their next hit.

But today residents are out in force to make their voices heard: to you I say power to the people, amandla!

The story of ineffective policing in the face of rising drug abuse is not limited to Riverlea. This is a story that plays out in many communities across this country.  The effects are equally devastating no matter where you live; when drug abuse rises, so does crime and violence.

From Riverlea in Gauteng to Mitchell’s Plain in the Western Cape, the national government and SAPS is neglecting their responsibility to ensure a well-trained, fully-staffed police force to combat the druglords.

As a result, we see many families devastated by the effects of substance abuse.

We see parents spend their money on drugs and alcohol, while their children do not have food.

We see how alcohol and tik increases cases of domestic violence, and how the need to feed their habits makes addicts resort to crime.

We need to take strong action to solve this problem, starting with tackling the drug problem and the crime problem together. We must break the vicious circle that allows them to feed off one another.

Unfortunately in almost all the communities I have been, I am told how the police are often part of the problem, and are not dealing with the source of the problem.

I have great respect for the men and woman in the police service. They have a very difficult job to do. But people no longer trust the police to keep them safe. Corruption, political appointments, police brutality and police criminality have become common in the SAPS.

In order to fight crime we need to bring back specials units to fight gangsterism and drugs. Since special units were disbanded in 2004, drug-related crime has more than doubled.

That is why where the DA governs, we have formed a special gangs unit under the Metro Police to try and address the problem in the absence of the SAPS.

We also need to make sure that these special units have the tools they need to do their jobs. The shortage in equipment faced by the police is a major obstacle to fighting crime. In 2012, 50% of police stations did not have sufficient computers to track criminal cases and less than 4% of police officers had been trained to handle sexual offences cases that often result from drug abuse.

There are many honourable police officers who are doing their best, but they must get the support they need from government.

In addition to fighting the vicious cycle of crime and drugs, we also need to address the underlying cause. It is not enough to punish the addicts. We need to help them to get rehabilitated. Hospitals and medical aid companies need to recognise that drug addiction is a disease, and not victimise those who seek help.

In the Western Cape, the DA has increased the number of Alcohol and Drug Addiction treatment centres from seven in 2008/09 to 27 in 2012/13. This has made an enormous difference to help those who need it most.

But most importantly, we need to involve the community in fighting this problem. That is why I am so happy so see so many of you here today – the only way to solve this problem is together.

Where the DA governs we passed a law called the Community Safety Act, significantly increasing financial support to community policing forums to involve communities in fighting crime. We have seen how powerful this can be.

The people need to take the power back from the gangsters and drug dealers that corrupt our children.

We must fight together to make our streets safer and keep our children safe from harm.