Police have conceded that policing in the socio-economic and political environment of black communities was difficult, but say it is a fallacy that increased allocation of police resources in these area will result in the reduction of crime.
This was their response in court papers to an application brought by the Social Justice Coalition and Equal Education to declare that the policy and methods of allocating resources be changed. In their application, the organisations sought to have Police Minister Nathi Nhleko and acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane compelled to take urgent steps to change the way police human
resources are allocated to
communities.
In his affidavit, SAPS head of strategic management Major-General Leon Rabie denied that the allocation process provided more police officers to stations serving the rich white population with low contact crime rates and fewer officers to stations serving poor black communities with high crimes.
Rabie said he was of the view that the Khayelitsha commission of inquiry had failed to appreciate the flexibility with which the allocation process and the civil right organisations “similarly lose sight of this important fact”.
“The lack of safety in townships which are populated by large numbers of black people is not due to the discriminatory allocation of police resources. he said.
“The crime generators in black communities are well known. They include underdevelopment in communities, lack of proper or adequate housing, lack of employment opportunities, poor schooling environment, lack of amenities including health care and entertainment,” Rabie said.
“It is simply not correct that the allocation process is a relic of the apartheid system. What is a relic of the apartheid system are the human settlement patterns without adequate infrastructure to perform proper policing functions.”