SPECIALISED CRIME FIGHTING UNITS ON WAY, SAYS POLICE MINISTER
29 March 2015
With the crime in South Africa having grown in sophistication and reach, it is important to consider re-introducing specialized crime fighting units to meet the challenge head-on.
This is the view of the Police Minister Nathi Nhleko after meeting his provincial colleagues in Cape Town on Friday where the move was supported by all those who attended the meeting.
"The fact that we have moved from being a transit country for drugs to the manufacturer and high consumer calls for us to take action to stem the tide. In this regard, it is time for us to consider bringing back specialized units like the drug unit and others to respond to the sophisticated nature of crime that we now have to deal with.
"We have heard the call for the re-introduction of these units and because we are not deaf nor blind to the destruction that crime is bringing to our communities, we think that the time is right for such policy decisions to be taken. The nature of crime has become more specialized and advanced and our response thereof should be on above the criminals," said Nhleko.
He made an example of cyber crime, which was an evolving crime with technology and the need to specialists who understand the intricacies of such technology to be at the forefront of fighting this scourge.
Also, the new drugs which defy classification like nyaope need new strategies to tackle them as they are made out of what sometimes are ordinary household goods and chemicals.
The Minister alongside his Deputy Minister of Police Ms M Sotyu met with their Provincial counterparts on Friday 27 March 2015 to do an assessment of matters of safety and security in the country as part of the quarterly MinMec meeting.
In attendance was the National Commissioner of Police, the Acting Secretary for Police, the Acting Director of IPID, the CEO of PSIRA and all relevant Provincial Heads of Departments.
The meeting noted the alarming rise in the use of drugs by South Africa's youth and the destruction of their minds and the agreed that unless there was concerted action, 'Drugs are killing our future'.
The meeting was also informed that a special Ministerial Committee on Substance Abuse had been established, which is chaired by the Department of Social Development. The Ministerial Committee allows for a multi sectoral approach to drug abuse.
Another critical matter that was raised at MinMec was that of resource management. It was felt that the Resource Allocation Guides (RAG) do not speak to the new census data, nor the new migration and settlement patterns. The meeting highlighted that many poor communities still experience problems with access to policing services as the location of Police stations, in general, still reflect historical geographical patterns of inequality.
The Minister emphasised that 21 years into democracy, South Africa's rural and urban poor should not still be facing challenges of access to Police services, close to where they live. He accordingly committed to convening a two-day special MinMec early in May 2015 focused on a radical transformation in respect of access to services.
Statement issued by Musa Zondi, Ministry of Police, March 29 2015
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