Speaking to the audience on Tuesday 27 February 2007, Dr Johan Burger, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said: “When you put mechanisms to bring down robberies and other crimes, you see an upsurge in cash heists. Criminals are getting smarter day after day. If you put obstacles on their way they will try something else.
“As the methodology of the crime changes, our lives and livelihoods are constantly threatened. So, we live in fear and we feel less safe,” Burger added.
According to statistics, the South African Police have arrested 2.5 million criminals in 2005/6, 40% more than in 2001/2. The cases referred to court by the police have also surged, but Burger lamented that due to poor investigation there have been less convictions from these arrests compared to the US, for instance.
This kind of situation has prompted the public to stop believing in the criminal justice system. “Criminals are not afraid to be caught anymore because they know that their chances of being convicted are very slim,” Burger remarked.
While President Thabo Mbeki promised that the police force will be considerably increased within three years, Finances Minister Trevor Manuel said that spending in fighting crime will be increased by 34%, the revamping of the justice system by 52% (R1.9 billion) and R2.9 billion will be injected into the correctional services system to enhance safety inside and outside the prisons.
But critics reject these promises and strategies, saying they are inconclusive and highly unlikely to bear positive results. “We will never be able to solve the crime problem in this country with the strategies that we currently have,” Burger said. “Are we on the right track? That is the question we should be asking ourselves. Isn’t time that we start looking at an integrated approach?”
Burger hinted that trying to solve social aspects such as poverty, unemployment and urbanisation might just be a pro-active approach. He lashed out at FNB for wanting to spend R12 million on ads crime. “Imagine what R12 million will do if it were to be injected in improving various social conditions,” he said.
Siphiwe Nzimande, CEO of Business Against Crime (BAC), said: “It does not help to say that such and such crime has decreased by such percentage, but one has to look at the bigger picture and analyse the details of how these crimes are being committed.”
“Crime is a threat to democracy and economic development. If you do not have peace and security, somehow you will never have peace and stability. Crime has become a major concern to all of us, and it needs to be dealt with in a rational manner,” Nzimande added.
During the questions and answers session, speakers were asked tough questions, with one man asking what BAC was doing to fight crime in place of ‘talk-shopping’ to the government and bringing all sorts of ‘sophisticated stuff’.
Nzimande said that BAC has established four working groups that will help fighting crime in a ‘rational manner’.
The first will be working on the review of the criminal justice system, which Nzimande believes it is highly ineffective, too fragmented and run in ‘silos’.
The second will be in charge at looking at the baseline effectiveness. “Justice and law enforcement’s information systems do not even talk to each other,” Nzimande said, without elaborating further.
While the third will be looking at ways of reducing the levels of violent organised crime, the fourth will be busy mobilising the public, bring innovations and communications in the fight against crime and deal with moral issues.
“Crime has become a norm in our society,” he said. “Criminals do not even feel that it is wrong to commit crime. I believe something is very wrong, disgusting and rotten in our moral values which we need to deal with accordingly. Let’s work in partnership to solve the problem of crime.”
At last came the moment for those who are in favour of reinstating the death penalty to present their case. Ivor Davis, a British-born retired journalist and PR consultant, told the audience: “Not one of us is safe anymore. Crime has crossed the racial lines. The deterioration of the situation is reminiscent of the Wild West.
“Our constitution is not written in stones, human beings broke it and it can be changed. Death penalty needs a public debate and perhaps a referendum. The media must not be scared to talk about the issue and try to come up with some ideas. This subject must not be a taboo anymore,” Davis concluded.
