Regular crime stats welcomed

2007-04-05 16:38

Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance is delighted that Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has agreed to release crime statistics more often than once a year, spokesperson Dianne Kohler-Barnard said on Thursday.

"Communities have the right to know, and wish to know, what is happening in their own neighbourhoods, and we welcome the minister's acknowledgement of this," she said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Nqakula said his department was considering the viability of regular reports on crime trends to communities.

"We don't need to rely on annual crime statistics only, we need to report regular crime trends to communities," he told reporters in Pretoria.

"What we are envisaging is a process where members of the SA Police Service, on a very regular basis, will go to the communities and give a full report on the crime trends in the given areas..."

However, Nqakula's spokesperson Trevor Bloem said this was not to be confused with the annual release of the national crime statistics.

"This should not be confused with the annual crime statistics which are national and audited through a scientific validation process. This is to do with crime information occurring at station level," he said.

Kohler-Barnard said it was heartening that Nqakula had taken this positive step to address the public's wide-spread concern over safety.

"It is now imperative that the minister prove this suggestion is not simply empty rhetoric, but follows it up by introducing the necessary concrete action steps to make this plan a reality.

"The minister must show that he has the political will to turn what is currently a mere statement into concrete action," she said.

- SAPA