JOHANNESBURG, June (ANA) - The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) has welcomed the pledge by Police Minister Bheki Cele to tackle aggravated robberies such as cash-in-transit heists, armed robberies, and hijackings.
Cele announced his intention to tackle the scourge of cash-in-transit heists which have soared this year and other aggravated robberies through high-visibility and an intelligence-driven campaign.
But Sanco said the operation that includes high-density deployment of uniformed police officers to crime hotspots will only be effective alongside intensified efforts to uproot corrupt elements within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
"The shift of resources from strategic to operational level will boost policing capacity at local level to turn the heat on criminals and keep them on their back foot," said Sanco spokesperson Jabu Mahlangu.
Mahlangu said the operation is an appropriate response to escalating crime which requires drastic measures.
"It must ultimately lead to the review of the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) to outline performance targets against which the National Commissioner and SAPS management must be held accountable for effective policing," he stressed.
Mahlangu further commended the recent appointment of Heads of Crime Intelligence and the Directorate for Priority Crimes (the Hawks) aimed at stabilising critical units within SAPS.
“The two crime-fighting units must be corrupt-free and relentlessly pursue organised crime syndicates to curb the proliferation of guns as well as drugs and roll back the scourge of violent crime terrorising our communities," he underscored.
He said that dysfunctional community policing forums must be dissolved for effective crime prevention structures to be put in place and partnership with communities strengthened from street committee level.
“On their own, police cannot win the war against crime," he said. "The involvement of communities is critical for the successful implementation of the community policing philosophy."
- African News Agency (ANA)
