Minister: SA a killing field

2008-11-12 22:16

Cape Town - South Africa should beef up its anti-crime units to deal with one of the world's highest murder rates that has made the country a "killing field", the security minister said on Wednesday.

Statistics showed the number of murders fell 4.7% in the year to end-March but was still among the world's worst.

"We are in the killing field where criminals are killing law-abiding citizens," Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa told members of parliament.

Mthethwa said government should boost specialised police units that were in the frontline of the country's war on crime.

"We ourselves have an obligation to strengthen the arm of these (anti-crime) task forces so that they are able... to teach those people a lesson (and) fight fire with fire," Mthethwa said.

South Africa's police force are often outgunned when confronted by criminals armed with semi-automatic AK-47 rifles, but Mthethwa said a decrease in cash-in-transit heists showed "strong-arm" tactics worked.

National police spokesperson Sally de Beer said police now deploy elite members of the Special Task Force unit to react to incidents involving heavily-armed gangs.

Mthethwa told parliament the police were also eager to partner with private security firms and augment a visible policing strategy.

Critics say a lack of personnel and resources, coupled with corruption and other flaws, have compromised the justice system and allowed many criminals to evade prosecution, with courts often dismissing cases because of poor police investigations.

South Africa has set an annual target of reducing crime by 7-10%, as fears rise that high levels of crime could deter tourism and foreign investment and derail chances of hosting a successful World Cup.

- Reuters