Police Commissioner must release long overdue quarterly crime statistics on Wednesday

27 August 2018

National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, is due to appear before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police on Wednesday where he is expected to do a presentation on crime against women and children. The Democratic Alliance would like to urge the Police Commissioner to use this opportunity to also release the 2017/18 and 2018/19 quarterly crime reports for all other crimes.

In the past, the South African Police Services (SAPS) have continuously assured the Committee that it would release crime statistics on a quarterly basis, however, the release of these reports is long overdue.

The last time the Committee was briefed in this regard was last year with the release of the 2016/17 annual crime statistics.

It would seem as though the SAPS is purposely attempting to either postpone or avoid the release of the quarterly crime reports.

This is unacceptable given that the police have a duty to report honestly, accurately and timeously on crime statistics.

Hiding the truth of how effective the police truly is, will not solve the high crime rates in our country.

Our country deserves a professional and well-resourced police force which will bring down the high crime levels in the country, and not one which withholds the truth about them.

The DA has long maintained that the high crime levels in South Africa are the direct result of the chronic under-training, under-staffing, under-resourcing and under-equipping of the police service.

We are committed to building a police service that is adequately resourced, equipped and trained and dedicated to ensuring safer streets and homes in South Africa for all.

Issued by Zakhele Mbhele, DA Shadow Minister of Police, 27 August 2018