Gauteng crime-fighting model to be rolled out to other provinces

LESSONS LEARNT in the fight against crime in Gauteng are being rolled out to other provinces, says says Siphiwe Nzimande, CEO of Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) – with priority focus on the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the North West. “We are heartened that in Gauteng significant reductions in robberies are being achieved,” he told FTW. Although Gauteng accounts for 52% of national robberies, the statistics for the province show an overall increase of 1.74% compared to a 38.15% increase for the rest of the country. “This shows a real shift due to the focused business and government partnership,” he said. After the release of the annual crime statistics at the end of June 2008, Bacsa was however the first to point out that while there had been a 6.4% reduction in contact crimes, this reduction was relatively modest and not within the 7-10% reduction target set by government four years ago. Robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased by 7.4% overall between the period 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, but Bacsa remains deeply concerned about the increases in its subcategories as reflected in the following trio of crimes: Business robberies 47.7% House robberies 13.5% Carjacking 4.4% and Truckjacking 39.6%. Nzimande ascribes Gauteng’s success to the fact that, over the past 18 months, the province has been used as the pilot for the reduction of violent organised crime (VOC) as part of the joint Government / Business Step Change initiative in the fight against crime. The Step Change initiative and the two resulting work groups, which are co-chaired by government and business leaders, are a result of a Bacsa presentation to government in 2005 on the unacceptably high levels of crime in the country and the need for these to be addressed as a matter of priority. The working groups include the reduction of VOC Work Group with its focus on the trio crimes (house, business and vehicle robberies); and the Improvement of the Criminal Justice System with its focus on systemic change and improvements to the performance of the entire system from the moment a crime is reported with a view to ultimately achieving a successful prosecution and conviction. The plan for the latter was approved by Cabinet last year and is currently under way with deputy minister Johnny de Lange as its champion. According to Bacsa, government requires the concerted support of businesses and citizens in general as the complex challenges posed by crime in the country cannot be solved by one department or agency in isolation. “To succeed in the fight against crime, we all need to become involved in doing what we can to prevent, report and assist with investigations in relation to crimes committed in the country. Effective partnerships, as well as commitment and leadership are required to beat the scourge of crime,” says Nzimande. There are a number of key actions businesses can take to become effectively involved in the fight against crime. They can ensure that, where applicable, effective cash management standards are implemented; CCTV cameras which comply with minimum standards are installed; crimes are reported; private security company personnel are vetted; and organisations such as Bacsa are supported by business funding.