We deserve cold hard order and justice

And take note, these are only cases dated back a couple of years, and there are most likely many more that have gone unnoticed.

Judging by the number of cold cases, is it any wonder that crime might seem like a job opportunity?

Granted, we also cover a lot of cases that have been concluded in court, so yes, admittedly justice now and then does triumph.

And yes, we know the police are working hard and trying their best to catch the criminals, but you cannot help but get a sense of hopelessness when a violent crime is committed.

After all, South Africa’s murder rate remains among the highest in the world, but if you look at many of the stats, a lot of the perpetrators are never caught.

To highlight the number of cold cases is not a witch-hunt against the police, but simply to stress the reality that we live in a violent society where murderers in many instances manage to walk away free.

And by doing so, the plight and the ordeal of the surviving loved ones of these victims will not be forgotten. We tend to quickly forget a tragedy and those who are affected by sad events, especially if there is no conviction.

Consider that according to the 2014 to the 2015 crime statistics, 49 people are killed daily in South Africa. Murder has therefore risen by 4.6 per cent, meaning 17 805 people were killed during this financial year.

Here in Boksburg, according to the stats, as a quick reminder, 24 murders were committed in the Boksburg SAPS precinct, six in Boksburg North precinct, 32 in Reiger Park and 43 in Dawn Park.

The Institute for Security Studies last year reported that most murders committed in South Africa remain unsolved, citing the police annual reports showing that suspects are only detected in less than a third of the murder cases opened.

The ISS head of Governance, Crime and Justice Division, Gareth Newham, reportedly said the 2013/14 SAPS annual report showed that suspects are only detected in 29.6 per cent of murder cases opened by the police.

This means that two out of every three murders in South Africa are not solved by the police.

The report also showed that by the end of the 2013/14 year, South Africa had 26 016 “incomplete” murder cases, along with 7 065 attempted murders. That is staggering.

So while we digest all this bad news, we at the same time acknowledge that in many developed countries, such as America, a large proportion of murders are unsolved.

But this does not provide any closure or peace of mind for the victims’ loved ones.

Where does the problem then lie when it comes to an untold number of cases not being solved?

If you do some research you find all kinds of weird crime statistics, such as the one published quite a number of years ago that more than a million of the two million criminal cases reported annually in South Africa are never solved.

Linked to this report was Willie Scholtz, head of the South African Criminal Justice System working group, who blamed inadequate collection of evidence at crime scenes, insufficient investigation of crimes, trials that ran for an extremely long time, and ineffective court processes as the reasons for so many unsolved cases.

Then again, a heavy caseload has also been cited as frustrating SA’s hard-pressed detectives, leaving killers free to roam the streets.

The Institute for Security Studies in one report cited that investigators have an average caseload of about 100 crimes at any given time – far more than the 50 to 60 that would be regarded as manageable.

It therefore seems that one of the reasons for the unsolved cases is simply because the SAPS faces an almost insurmountable challenge because of the sheer volume of crimes.

A 2012 report by Parliament’s police portfolio committee painted a picture of a detective service that was under strain, under-skilled and beset by low morale.

No matter how you look at it, the simple truth is if 17 805 people were killed in one year, that is a lot of investigating to be done!

So, keeping all of this in mind, maybe the problem has got nothing to do with our detectives or the justice system, but with the fact that we need to solve the conundrum of why there are so many murders.

To find the fault with the detectives of the justice system will be merely reactive. Instead we need to rather be preventive, which also applies to our Aids/HIV pandemic.

To be preventive means recognising the fact that stats reveal that almost two out of three murders in South Africa occur between people who are acquainted with each other and get into a dispute.

We also have to acknowledge the roles of substance abuse, of SA’s socio-economic climate and that the factors that lead to a murder remain complex and are often driven by particular social and individual dynamics which the police can do little about.

To be preventive can be as simple as focusing on ensuring that our children and young people are not exposed to so much violence in their homes, communities or schools.

Reducing our murder rate, therefore reducing the workload for our detectives, and therefore reducing the number of unsolved cases, is a matter of addressing the moral decline of our country.

This is something that the police or the justice system cannot do on their own, but all citizens should play their part.

Otherwise the high murder rate will continue to keep us awake at night.