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Crime, poverty link 'cold reality'
09/02/2007 13:06 - (SA)
Donwald Pressly
Cape Town - The overwhelming majority of violent crimes against the people occur in the most socio-economically deprived areas of South Africa "and require strong and sustained community interventions focused on crime prevention", President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday during his State-of-the-Nation address.
Mbeki, who has come under fire for suggesting that crime was not out of control in South Africa, said that the link between crime and poverty is a "cold reality" as it was in other countries.
Nevertheless, the president said that government had to improve its analysis of crime trends "to improve our performance with regard both to crime prevention and crime combating".
He said it was important to continue with the processes to "capacitate" the country's intelligence facilities and also further modernising the systems of the South African Revenue Services "especially in respect of border control".
Making life difficult for criminals
"As we have already said, these and other measures will succeed only if we build an enduring partnership in actual practice within our communities and between the communities and the police, to make life more and more difficult for the criminals."
In an apparent reference to a national campaign - dropped by First National Bank - against crime, he said: "We are heartened by the resolve shown by leaders of the business and religious communities further to strengthen such partnerships on the ground, and to give of their time and resources to strengthen the fight against crime."
Government would play its part to ensure that these partnerships "actually work" and that "we all act together to discharge the responsibility to protect our citizens".
He noted that the South African Police Service was to bring its strength to "over 180 000" men and women within three years "and ensure optimal utilisation of the electronic monitoring and evaluation system that has just been introduced".
He noted that the SAPS had already surpassed the target figure of 152 000 police officers "and while we have improved the training programme, we recognise the fact that the impact of this is not yet high enough for everybody to feel a better sense of safety and security".
"While we have reduced the incidence of most violent crimes, the annual reduction rate [of] robbery, assault and murder is still below the 7% to 10% that we have targeted. And the abuse of women and children continues at an unacceptable level."
- I-Net Bridge (Business)
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