Saps' public trust deficit hits crime fight - experts

If the South African Police Service (Saps) is serious about fighting crime it should start by mending its broken relationship with communities, according to the experts.

- Masoka Dube

The experts were reacting to President Cyril Ramaphosa's statement that there "was a lack of cooperation between the police and communities in fighting crime".

Ramaphosa said this when addressing the 2025 Policing Summit in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.

Chad Thomas, an organised crime investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations, said the only way the country can address crime is through effective civic, public and private sector collaboration.

"I concur with the comments made by the president that we need to ensure cooperation between communities and state law enforcement, and in my opinion, a bigger role played by the private security industry in expanding their footprint into townships, informal settlements and areas of cities experiencing urban decay."