SAPS Festive Season Plans: An informed citizenry helps to fight crime

Harold Mcgluwa, MPL
DA Northern Cape: Provincial Chairperson

082 383 6914

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the launch of the Festive Season Operational Plan by the Northern Cape South African Police Services (SAPS). The SAPS emphasis on high visibility policing, and tackling the economic, contact, and alcohol related crimes is most welcomed, as these are the crimes which affect residents the most.

The DA would however seek to caution the SAPS against unwittingly excluding member of the public in their planned efforts to curb festive season crime spikes. A key concern in this regard is the continued lack of the regular release, or availability of crime information and stats to residents by SAPS. This impacts negatively on any plans to fight crime, as residents find themselves unable to promptly access crime data which would alert them to areas of concern.

The recent attack on a local Kimberley doctor at the Sol Plaatje Municipality waste dump, as reported in the DFA (26-11-2012), unfortunately illustrates how poorly informing residents on crime hot spots and trends, can result in citizens being unaware of possibly being at risk to certain forms of crime in any given area. One wonders whether the public would have known at all of the danger at the municipal dump, were it not for the news article being published.

The DA is of the view that the SAPS need to provide monthly crime stats at the level of the local police station, as this would help keep residents alert and informed. SAPS should also continue to work closely with Community Policing Forums during the festive season, and make greater use of elected public representatives to assist in operations and to disseminate information to the public.