Cobus Coetzee
CRIME cannot be defeated by the police alone – communities must get involved, says Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko.
People often distanced themselves from problems in their communities and thought it was the sole responsibility of the police to tackle crime, he told the Cosatu City Wide Crime Conference in Cape Town yesterday.
“There are some things you also have to take responsibility for.”
The government could not do everything for society.
“It is our responsibility as members of society to stamp out crime.”
Communities affected by socio-economic conditions such as poverty and unemployment were “fertile ground for criminality”.
“Yes, the police must intervene and arrest criminals in these areas, but other state institutions must address the socio-economic conditions in those communities.
“If you do not do (this), criminality will always be there.”
Drugs and gangs were a serious problem.
It was a concern that people in communities were sheltering drug lords and gangs, Nhleko said.
“It is because (drug lords) buy groceries (for them).”
If the country could not deal with crime as a nation, it would not be in a position to develop.
“There is something fundamentally wrong with ourselves as a society. We need to go back to the basics and say what is it that we are doing.”
Under his watch, members of the SAPS would work to be more professional and treat people with dignity. It was also important to address violence in communities.