DA wants crime stats

2004-01-15 14:51

Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance will demand up-to-date crime statistics from Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula when parliament reconvenes next month.

In a statement released on Thursday DA safety and security spokesperson Douglas Gibson said the public and members of parliament should have access to station-level statistics.

Gibson said the statistics allowed residents to react to crime trends and to make wise investment decisions, such as buying a home or starting a business.

He said MPs needed the information to enable them to monitor the allocation and management of resources in their constituencies and to lobby for additional funding where allocations were deemed insufficient.

"The minister of safety and security, Charles Nqakula, does not understand that, in a democracy, the people are entitled to know the whole truth. If station-level statistics are not provided, it means that the public cannot make informed decisions about their safety and MPs cannot exercise effective oversight," Gibson said.

He said once parliament had reopened he would table questions to Nqakula aimed at obtaining up-to-date and accurate statistics.

- SAPA