Key partners revive commitment to fight crime

This emerged when Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa met with leaders from the Institute for Security Studies, Business against Crime South Africa, AgriSA as well as the South African Banking Risk Information Centre- as part of the ministry's on-going stakeholder engagement programme.

"We needed to interact with these important partners who have helped us in our crime reduction programmes. As the ministry, we move from a premise that it is only through strong partnerships that we can create safer environments, which enable economic development, growth and attract investments," said Mthethwa in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Due to the dynamic nature of crime in South Africa, the ministry maintains on-going partnerships with different stakeholders - from business, researchers, academics, community policing forums, labour unions to NGOs who give insights, which have assisted in policy formulations and practical programmes.

"In fact, our approach as government is not premised along an impression that we are experts who know better; rather, we see them as equal partners in helping us address the challenge confronting us, which is to ensure that South Africans are and feel safe.

"In our efforts of creating a police service that is professional, accountable, transparent and responsive, we also shared and discussed the Green Paper on Policing," stated the minister.

The meeting also shared the challenges that the SAPS is currently grappling with, ranging from corruption to some of the police officers who taint the department through their conduct.

In this light, Mthethwa raised the resurgence of police killings and how these partners can assist in dealing with the challenge. Mthethwa said it should not be a government-only responsibility to tackle crime - and such partnerships have enabled police management to better grasp and understand some of the key issues faced by police.

"We are under no illusion that there are quick fix solutions to policing challenges in South Africa. We do believe that over the last year, we have begun to put in place processes that are not only yielding some successes, but will also become the building blocks for the police service we envisage."

Going forward, the minister and the partners agreed to cement these engagements through on-going interactions, which will include a development of a practical programme with clear time frames, sharing of information and best practices.