COMBATING CRIME IS EXPENSIVE

COMBATING CRIME IS EXPENSIVE 

DA’S Shodow MEC for Finance, Adriana Randall is a careless and a clueless political opportunist who criticized Gauteng Provincial Government  for spending R4.3 Million on jumpsuits for 3 000 Community Safety Wardens. Writes Mlungisi Stanley Ting Ting Mzinyane

I want to speak as a crime prevention expert and as a former head of crime prevention in military police and a academic practioner in the faculty of crime prevention. I think we must appluade the Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lusufi for establishing the crime prevention unit in the province.
The latest crime statistics presented by Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Lt Gen Elias Mawela shows that Gauteng is a biggest contributor to the national to the national crime figures, “ Gauteng contributed 27.2% to the national overall crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year We have observed over the five-year period that this contribution is slightly reducing, as in 2019 our contribution was 28.2%, which reflects a decrease by 1.0% or 10,750 counts over the past five years” said Mawela. Therefore it means as a province we need to pull in one direction and put all our resources together to  combat crime.
Globally in particular in the first world countries, crime prevention strategy and activities are a priority to those governments and the spend billions of dollars for the purpose of crime prevention.
Example, In the US and Europe they’re institutions established just to deal with crime prevention and those government fund them seriously … I’m a member of the The American Crime Prevention Institute. This institution is privately owned and it plays a very significant role in providing capacity for police and security personnel in general. I had an opportunity to study part of crime prevention modality during the world cup in South Africa through them and those fellows are well knowledgeable with this faculty of policing… South Africa managed to reduce crime during the world cup due to advices from such institutions.
The level of crime in South Africa is out of control. Our police are over stretched thus the area of crime prevention does not get sufficient attention it deserves.
The establishment of this unit will complement the police service and other security arms to curb crime.
There is a wrong misconception that crime prevention unit personnel should be highly trained like the task force police.. That is totally incorrect… Crime prevention is a soft strategy in policing to fight crime .
The crime prevention unit will be useful for crime intelligence purposes among others and prevention of crime activities due its presence in our environment.
It be noted that, this newly established unit doesn’t kill old community policing structures and strategy, instead it seeks enhance it.
The type of training done by crime prevention doesn’t require that typical hard physical training and deep rooted weapons specialization. However the crime prevention wardens must be physically fit, mentally sound be trained with law that governs crime and stability.
In future this unit will be a threat to the corrupt activities currently done by some police officers in Saps . As citizens we must jealously guard this strategic crime prevention tool that has been established by the Premier.
Coming to the careless and polical opportunitic unterances of DA and other political parties about the usage of R4.3 million to purchase uniform for the unit is uncalled for.
The money spent for the uniform is justified and were I’m standing as practineer in the faculty of crime prevention the jumpsuit is not sufficient… But for starters it is welcomed. 4000 wardens have been trained and the are patrolling our cities and criminals are worried about this unit presence. This unit should be supplied with durable uniform, jackets, boots, spray guns, handcuffs, radios… The falsehood debate used by oppositions saying the stated should have bought jumpsuits worth R200 is foolish…. And misleading. South Africa is rated as capital city crime. We must intensify crime prevention units to all provinces.
Mlugusi Stanley Ting Ting Mzinyane is a Crime Prevention Expert, former Head of Crime Prevention in Military Police and an Academic Practitioner in the faculty of crime prevention. He writes in his personal capacity