Police to focus on trio-crimes after marked spike
Trio crimes - robbery with aggravating circumstances, which include carjacking, house and business robbery topped the agenda during the police commissioner's visit to White River this week.
So-called “trio crimes” topped the agenda of the police’s two-day strategic meeting, which was held at Ingwenyama Conference and Sports Resort earlier this week.
Acting national police commissioner, Lt Gen Khomotso Phahlane, attended the meeting to devise a plan to create safer communities.
It included all commanders and senior managers from national, provincial and cluster level. Trio crimes – robbery with aggravating circumstances, which include carjacking, house and business robbery – saw a marked spike from
April 1 to December 31, according to the crime statistics released by minister of police, Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko, last week.
The strategic meeting aimed to identify crime trends and patterns and to explore strategies and the best way to combat crime in the country.
“This is not the time to celebrate,” Phahlane said. “We are using this opportunity to go back to the drawing board, and to see how best we can enhance service delivery to our communities.”
Also high on the agenda was the proliferation of firearms and the reduction of sexual offences.
According to SAPS, robbery with aggravating circumstances increased by
6,1 per cent. Murder, sexual offences, attempted murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, common assault and common robbery all decreased.
“The overall crime statistics bear testimony to the fact that police are recording significant strides in the fight against crime,” the police said in a statement.
“This taking into cognisance the recorded decrease in crime levels across all 17 community-reported serious crimes. However, a considerable concerted effort is still needed to ensure there is a further reduction of crime in South Africa.” In a media briefing on Tuesday, Phahlane said the police must continue to make a concerted effort, together with stakeholders and communities, to remove illegal firearms from society.
“Obviously, it would be counter-productive for the SAPS to reveal the content of the plan or to publicise tactical information. We can, however, assure communities that a high-level intervention will be implemented immediately, focusing on identified hotspot areas in terms of the trio crimes.
“The SAPS will allocate resources, including budget, vehicles and additional police members, to effect the plan, and senior officers will be on duty 24/7 to take command and control at local level while the national office will coordinate and monitor countrywide actions.
“In addition, police visibility will be heightened in residential areas, because the SAPS acknowledges that our clients’ greatest fears are that their family members will be harmed in their own homes or while driving between their homes and other destinations.
“The communities we serve are urged to support and assist the police in realising a significant decrease in crime levels, especially in terms of violent crimes.
Community policing forums can play an important crime-prevention role and information on crime or suspicious activities can be reported to police stations or to Crime Stop on the number 08600 10111 (Crime line: SMS 32211),” Phahlane concluded.
