Remarks by the National Commissioner at the release of the SAPS National 2012/2013 Crime Statistics, APS Tshwane Training Academy, Pretoria, September 19 2013
What I'm presenting to you here today is a story of assurance and confidence. When we look at the crime situation over the past nine years until today, we see a general decline and we expect this declining trend to continue in respect of the majority of our serious crime categories.
There is therefore no doubt in my mind that the crime situation in our country is under control and that we continue to make good progress. We do, however, note a couple of challenges, particularly with regards to murder and attempted murder. We are attending to these challenges and I will elaborate later with regards to specific measures we are going to take in order to address the situation.
As you are recall, I recently announced that there is a need for us to reorganise, streamline and - in certain areas - redefine responsibilities. I want each and every individual within SAPS to be called on to account for delivery on their responsibilities. We have a new leadership which is committed and focused on delivering on our core mandate.
If we are to break the back of crime, we cannot adopt "business as usual" approach. As we analyse the main drivers of crime, it is clearly evident that there are many underlying contributory factors. These include: alcoholism, drugs, unemployment and the generally violent nature of our society.
Failure on our part, and the part of key stakeholders, to address these contributory elements will significantly hamper progress in our fight against crime.