Date: 28/10/2004
Source: Ministry of Safety and Security
Title: C Nqakula: Monitoring and Evaluation Media Briefings, Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster, 28 Oct


JUSTICE CRIME PREVENTION AND SECURITY CLUSTER PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA BRIEFING: BY MINISTER FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, MR CHARLES NQAKULA, 28 October 2004

Social Crime Prevention Initiatives

The cluster has completed a benchmark document that will be used by the provinces to assess progress in reducing contact crimes by between 7% and 10%. This process will allow cluster sub-structures in the provinces to submit quarterly reports indicating whether they have met the target or not, thus enabling a global assessment at national level.

The main thrust in this is that provinces have been given a list of additional police station areas for which profiles and interventions should be completed by the end of January 2005. In this regard, priority police station areas would be 150 and not the original 63.

The cluster departments at national and provincial level have been implementing other ongoing social crime prevention programmes. A signpost for the Safe School workbook was rolled out to the following provinces during the period under review: Limpopo (14 - 16 July); Eastern Cape (19 - 20 July); Free State (27 - 28 August); Gauteng (19 - 20 August) Northern Cape (19 - 21 August).

The workbook is a tool for interventions at schools for children experiencing social challenges such as bullying, sexual abuse, gangs, use of weapons, substance abuse and racism. Interventions target children as either victims, offenders or those who are at risk in this regard. Interventions are immediate or necessitate referrals to medium and long term providers such as counsellors.

Integrated Law Enforcement Operations

Integrated law enforcement operation measures that included clean-up operations have been introduced in the 63 police stations. On the basis of these operations since July, the following numbers of suspects were arrested.

* 895 for murder
* 1 396 for rape
* 3 501 for robbery

Implementation of the Firearms Control Legislation

The implementation of the Firearms Control Act is ongoing. The SAPS is disseminating public information on obtaining competency certificates and renewal of firearm licences. Between June and August 6 686 firearm licence applications were successful while 19 053 were refused. 4 competency certificates were issued and another 286 remain pending. Firearm owners have to renew their licences from 2005.

Regarding the ongoing law enforcement operations, the SAPS confiscated 5 971 firearms. A total of 26 081 firearms were destroyed in the past two months. More than 200 firearms were confiscated during operation CIFAT.

Interventions on Drug and Substance Abuse

The Central Drug Authority,