We are losing the battle against violent crime says the South African Policing Union (SAPU). The Union says mass killings in the country point to an unfortunate reality that we are losing the battle against violent crime.
We are losing the battle against violent crime
The comment from SAPU comes in the wake of another mass killing at the weekend in the Eastern Cape. 18 people were shot dead in 2 separate shooting incidents, in Ngobozana village in Lusikisiki. Police are questioning a person in connection with the crime. The suspect has not been arrested.
SAPU’s National Spokesperson, Lesiba Thobakgale says, “As much as we acknowledge the multi-disciplinary approach that the South African Police Service (SAPS) normally launches in such instances it is unfortunately re-active. The fact that it comes after the crime has been committed that on its own is problematic.”
The Union has condemned the brutal killing of the 18 victims.
Strengthen crime intelligence in South Africa
At the same time, SAPU has made a call for the strengthening of Crime Intelligence within the SAPS.
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The organization says such strengthening should include the revival and establishment of effective informants’ networks across communities long before any act of crime could be committed.
“We strongly believe that the ineffectiveness of Crime Intelligence started with politicising this vital SAPS component,” said Thobakgale.
He added, that it seems that we’ve lost the battle against crime. Thobakgale derives this from the fact that communities are unwilling to share information with the police.
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He said it’s practically impossible to win the battle against crime if communities do not trust the police and provide the necessary information. Thobakgale added that the effectiveness of the police informants network would also assist in dealing with the challenge of the proliferation of illegal firearms in the country.
