Pretoria - Farm killings will soon be a thing of the past due to the implementation of measures proposed by the South African Police Service in partnership with AgriSA.
The two have established a partnership to improve methods of policing to protect people in rural communities.
After a meeting at the Pretoria SAPS Academy, acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane said they had reached agreement that there was a need for increased police presence and community policing forum structures in farming communities.
Phahlane said the intensification of efforts was a result of an increase in incidents of crime and violence on farms and smallholdings.
The acts were aimed at disrupting farming activities, Phahlane said.
Omri van Zyl, chief executive officer of AgriSA, said: “There have been lots of talks, we need action now. Policing is not just a force matter but a community matter.”
Van Zyl said they encouraged community participation in the fight against crime.
Phahlane said the fight would not be won by the police alone but only through partnering with communities.
He said such partnerships would be a force multiplier that could have great impact.
Adding to the measures that were put forth, Phahlane said a recruitment drive would also focus in all rural parts of the country.
He said analysis conducted by the SAPS showed that there had been a major shift in target selection by criminals from smallholdings to more isolated farms.
“We have agreed on having ongoing engagement with associations and unions, to collaborate on matters of common interest in due course, and to talk about other ways forward based on our back-basics approach,” he said.
Incidents involving violence on farms and smallholdings, as well as any people living in similar environments, should be reported to the provincial commissioners within 24 hours of occurrence, Phahlane added.
Pretoria News