Reforming law enforcement in South Africa: a path to safety across all spheres

WHILST a White Genocide is fake news spurred by race baiters on social media, crime is a real problem for all South Africans, in particular African and Coloured working-class communities, and especially women.

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South Africa is a nation that has struggled with high levels of crime for decades. During the dark days of colonial and apartheid rule, the lives of Black communities were subjected to the most brutal forms of violence unleashed by the state, including forced removals, assassinations, torture, detention and state sponsored vigilante attacks. During this time, the role of the police was to subject not protect communities.

Much has been done since the advent of democracy by government led by the African National Congress to deracialise and transform the police into a police service focused on protecting our communities, in particular the most vulnerable. Whilst strides have been made on many fronts, including the recently announced reductions in murders, cash in transit heists and other serious crimes, we nonetheless remain a society battling this pandemic.

Whilst the cause of some types of crime, in particular petty crimes, are unemployment and poverty, others remain the domain of depraved individuals and well resourced and sophisticated criminal syndicates and gangs.

What is to be done as Lenin asked? Yes, we must spur the economy, create decent jobs and slash poverty but equally we must ensure our law enforcement have the weapons they need to win this war.

Whilst government has doubled the size of the SAPS since 1994, it has not kept pace with population growth, let alone rising crime levels or the internationally recommended ratio of police to society. We welcome the recent shift in this regard to begin recruiting new police officers.