COMMUNITY URGED TO
EXPOSE CRIMINALS
Media Statement
24 August 2009
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee
on Safety, Security and Liaison, Finance
and Office of the Premier in Mpumalanga,
Mr. William Lubisi has called on the
community of Ehlanzeni to give vital
information to the police in order to
assist the police to fight against
crime.
Lubisi was responding to some of the
issues raised by the community on behalf
of Community Safety, Security and
Liaison MEC, Ms. Sibongile Manana at an
Imbizo held at Daantjie outside
Kanyamazane on Sunday, 23 August 2009.
He urged the community to expose
criminals because crime happens in
communities and suspects are known to
them.
Lubisi said although government has
plans to reform the Criminal Justice
System in order to enhance crime
prevention initiatives, community
members remain vital in the war against
crime.
“Although the province fully supports
the proposed amendments to sections 26
and 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act of
1977, it does not mean that the
community should sit back and not assist
the police in the fight against crime,”
said Lubisi.
“With amendments to these sections the
police will be more protected when
dealing with violent suspects especially
when they apprehend them,” added Lubisi.
Lubisi urged the community to expose
corruption in the police. He advised
them to make use of state organs such as
Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD),
Office of the Provincial Commissioner
and Monitoring and Evaluation of the
Department of Community Safety, Security
and Liaison.
He also appealed to the FBI, a community
structure that allegedly identifies
suspects and assault them to call the
police after apprehending suspects and
not take the law into their own hands.
During the Imbizo the community
criticized SAPS for not responding
swiftly to crime scenes.
They complained that the local police
would cite non-availability of transport
as the reason for the delayed response
to crime scenes while the police vans
were seen roaming the streets and doing
personal errands.
The community also complained that
sometimes when they have suspects, and
call the police, the police instead
arrest them and not the suspects.
They also complained they feel unsafe
because the suspects are arrested and
are seen roaming the streets after some
few days. They have recommended that
government must not give suspects any
bail.
It also emerged that some traditional
healers give “muthi” to criminals so
that they can evade arrests or not face
the law after having committed crime.
One of the CPF members suggested that
uniform or some form of identification
be accorded CPF members so that members
of the community can identify them when
they have complaints to raise.
Speaking at the same Imbizo, Kanyamazane
Cluster Commander, Commissioner Nhlavu
Dlamini, has called on the community to
participate in the naming of streets by
the municipality because this will
improve police response to crime scenes.
He also warned the community not to
accept any excuse related to the
shortage of vehicles from the police
because vehicles have been allocated to
all sectors
Dlamini explained that most of the times
police are unable to arrive at scenes on
time because of non clarity of direction
given to them by the complainants.
Dlamini said “timeous response of police
to crime scenes is a critical part of
policing as it sometimes can save lives
or suspects can also be arrested at the
scene. Swift arrest of suspects may
sometimes lead to successful solving of
criminal cases and this will restore
confidence the community has in our
police”.
Dlamini said the community must not
accept excuses from the police they are
unable to respond to crimes because of
non availability of vehicles because
vehicles have been allocated to sectors.
Enquiries: Joseph Mabuza
013 766 4055/ 082 678 1450
Issued by Mpumalanga Department of
Community Safety, Security and Liaison
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