Festive arrests not enough - DA
2013-01-23 17:57
-
The Da Vinci Method
Break Out & Express Your Fire. Discover and master the fiery temperament shared by great leaders.
Now R289.00
buy now
Johannesburg - The arrests of 45 000 people in Gauteng since September are
not enough in the fight against festive season crimes, the DA said on
Wednesday.
"The number of people arrested reflects the efforts and ability of
police to hunt down criminals, but the absence of statistics on the number of
crimes reported is concerning," said Democratic Alliance MPL John Moodey.
"Without reliable and up-to-date figures for crimes committed and
reported in Gauteng for the duration of the campaign, we cannot effectively
assess the ability of police to detect and prevent crime before it
happens."
Police launched their crime-fighting campaign "Operation Duty
Calls" on 15 September. It runs until 31 January. Seven base camps have
been set up across the province for the duration of the operation. On Tuesday,
provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Mzwandile Petros said the
arrests were for crimes including robbery, rape, kidnapping, murder, fraud and
shoplifting.
Alcohol, guns, cars
Police had confiscated more than 411 500 litres of alcohol, 3346 illegal
guns and over 47 000 rounds of ammunition. They also recovered 2 437 stolen
vehicles.
They said they would destroy more than 52 500 litres of alcohol and more
than 294 000 counterfeit CDs and DVDs.
Moodey applauded the effort, but challenged Petros to make public statistics
for the number and nature of crimes reported at Gauteng police stations during
the festive seasons of 2011/12 and 2012/13.
"Only comprehensive information such as this would serve to reassure
the people of Gauteng that our provincial police are indeed turning the tide
and winning the war against crime."
He said arrest rates alone did not indicate the effectiveness of anti-crime
strategies and visible policing.
- SAPA
