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Date
: 01/08/2006
Source: Department of Safety and Security
Title: Nqakula: Update of Programme of Action, July 2006
Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster media
briefing by Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cabinet cluster
has decided to follow a two-pronged strategy in the fight against
crime in South Africa. The strategy was submitted to and endorsed
by Cabinet at its Lekgotla last week.
The strategy, while confirming the central role of law enforcement
agencies in the fight against crime picks up, also, on the
principle of community involvement and the establishment of
partnerships as key instruments in crime prevention and combating.
The concept was first raised in 1992 at a conference of the African
National Congress, where policy was being shaped on how to police a
democratic South Africa.
The JCPS briefed Cabinet on the various crime-types that affect
South Africa, especially those that threaten or take the lives of
people.
Organised crime
Cabinet reiterated the position that the law enforcement agencies
should do more to achieve the targets that have been set to reduce
the levels of crime annually, particularly serious and violent
crime, by between seven percent and ten percent. It was agreed that
organised crime should receive particular attention.
The crime of robbery aggravated took centre stage towards the end
of 2005 and again in the past six months this year. Most instances
of the crime were part of organised crime, targeting banks and
other financial institutions, as well as malls. Some of the
robberies happened on the freeways when the criminals targeted
vehicles carrying money across the country.
Arrests
There are cases that are before court currently arising from some
of the successes the police have registered regarding aggravated
robbery. They include a case against 17 suspects who were arrested
in connection with the robbery on March 25, at the Johannesburg
International Airport (JIA) from an aeroplane that had arrived that
morning from London. Originally 18 suspects had been arrested. One
of them died from injuries sustained in a shootout with the police
during arrest.
The other arrests relate to the cash-in-transit heists at
Gingindlovu (nine suspects), Colenso (seven suspects, who also face
charges of murder) and Modderfontein (two suspects). Nine suspects
were arrested following the robbery of more than R50 million from a
Selby bank cash depot. All the money was recovered when the police
intercepted the robbers.
The arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the Lyttleton bank
robbery in September last year helped the police with information
linking the suspects to 15 other cases in Delmas (CAS 32/01/05),
Mtubatuba (CAS 231/02/05), Brooklyn (CAS 669/02/05), Witbank (CAS
25/05/05), Yeoville (CAS 56/05/05), Ventersdorp (CAS 71/08/05),
Bronkhorstspruit (CAS 254/08/05), Sandton (CAS 117/09/05),
Burgersfort (CAS 161/09/05), Durban Central (CAS 1991/10/05),
Lyttelton (CAS 128/11/05), Witbank (CAS 324/12/05), Randburg (CAS
630/12/05), Mafikeng (CAS 91/02/06) and Marble Hall (CAS 72/03/06).
Other information has connected several suspects to robberies in
Douglasdale, Springs, Rosebank, Hillbrow, Giyani, Boksburg,
Honeydew, Heidelberg, Bramley and Algoa Park. There are ten more
cases that are pending regarding organised crime.
Criminals who are part of organised crime operate in units of small
and large groups that come from all corners of South Africa as well
as across our borders. A list has been compiled by the police of
some 250 individuals who are part of organised aggravated
robberies. There are at least 2 899 foreigners, sentenced and
awaiting trial, who were arrested for serious and violent crimes (1
310), commercial crimes (879), drugs (314) sexual offences (161)
and common robberies (235)
There are 84 959 inmates in our correctional detention centres for
serious and violent crimes, including murder. Almost a third is
un-sentenced inmates, whose cases are still before court. There are
35 762 detainees from the 155 153 inmates in our correctional
detention centres (including 42 438 awaiting trial detainees) who
were arrested for various types of commercial crimes.
Sexual crimes account for 17 881 sentenced inmates and 7 026
awaiting trial detainees.
Social crime
The police will continue to deal with social fabric crimes or a
serious and violent nature including murder, serious assault and
rape. A recent analysis of 9 623 dockets has indicated that in
81,5% of the murders the perpetrators were known to the victims and
in 46% of those cases the perpetrators were relatives, friends or
acquaintances of the victims. The figures for serious and violent
assault indicated that in 89,1% cases the perpetrators were known
to the victim (72,9% were relatives, friends or acquaintances),
while in 75,9% rape cases the perpetrators were known to the
victims (57% perpetrators being relatives, friends or acquaintances
of the victims).
The cases are difficult to investigate because of the relationship
between victims and perpetrators where levels of intimidation and
family pressures are very high. Many of the cases, consequently,
are withdrawn and do not reach court.
Access to alcohol and drugs, firearms and other dangerous weapons
contribute to increased levels of violence and the degree of injury
associated with contact crime.
School safety
The Safer Schools programme is a partnership between the South
African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Education,
which focuses on ensuring a safe learning environment. This
programme is implemented jointly at provincial level and addresses
issues such as drugs and firearms in schools, sexual offences and
bullying.
We need to ensure that communities are involved in this programme
through the School Governing Bodies and School Safety Committees.
Through this we facilitate and manage the national roll out of the
Tiisa Thuto programme in co-operation with Business against
Crime.
The primary aim of Tiisa Thuto is to fight school community based
crime through the inculcation of a positive value system among the
entire members of the school community, and in the process
contributes towards the heightening of a sense of schools ownership
by their respective communities, and creation of conditions and/or
culture conducive for effective teaching, learning, and support to
happen.
Tiisa Thuto is a school community based crime prevention programme
that has as its core beneficiaries learners, educators, parents,
and members of the School Governing Bodies. The Minister for
Education in conjunction with the Ministry for Safety and Security
launched this program in the Free State last Saturday.
Court performance
The performance of our courts continues to receive special
attention. There were visible signs between 2004 and 2005 of
commendable improvement in the disposal of cases in the higher and
lower courts. Only eight percent of the outstanding cases on the
High Court rolls were longer than 12 months by the end of the
2005/06 financial year.
There has been an improvement also in the conviction rate in our
courts. In the High Courts we reached 85%, 70% in the Regional
Courts and 87% at District level.
Despite the improvements the case backlog continues to be a
drawback. The non-attendance of court proceedings by suspects sees
a monthly average of 15 155 warrants of arrest. Incomplete
investigations add to the problems our courts have to
confront.
The National Prosecuting Authority is working closely with police
investigators to improve the quality of investigations and docket
management. The Case Flow Management system is a strategic
intervention that is beginning to yield constructive
outcomes.
New plans
In the six months ending on 31 December, the police and other law
enforcement agencies are going to concentrate their effort on
organised crime, especially organised aggravated robbery. The
agencies are working together with Business against Crime, the
South African Banking Council and the South African Reserve Bank to
improve security measures to curb aggravated robbery.
Special teams have been established in the provinces to deal with
organised crime, while other teams will concentrate on finding
suspects against whom there are outstanding warrants of arrest. Our
intelligence units have been put on alert to gather relevant
information to facilitate investigations.
All border control measures are being reviewed to deal with
cross-border crime. A National Border Control and Security Strategy
has been finalised and a National Border Control Centre has been
established to house the project regarding border control and
security. All requirements regarding personnel, information,
communications and technology as well as security infrastructure
will be in place by the end of August.
An electronic sensor committee has been established as a separate
entity to expand South Africa's radar footprint.
The JCPS is worried about the violent nature of crime in South
Africa. Cabinet has endorsed a recommendation to commission a study
on the matter by the Institute for the Study of Violence and
Reconciliation. Draft terms of reference are being formulated for
presentation to Cabinet.
The national response to crime also includes the mobilisation of
the masses of our people to participate in an anti-crime strategy
involving a number of stakeholders within civil society, including
the various religious denominations.
Issued by: Department of Safety and Security
1 August 2006
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