By More Matshediso
Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has called for South Africans to be more active in the fight against all types of crimes that endanger and undermine human rights.
He said active citizenry in South Africa had yet to be fully exercised to drastically curb crime.
The President said this on Friday ahead of the 35th Annual Crime Stoppers International Conference, which will be held by South African Police Service (SAPS) and Crime Line in Cape Town next week.
The conference, which will be attended by an estimated 500 delegates, including law enforcement and government officials, academics, the legal fraternity, NGOs as well as civilians, is scheduled to take place from 12 - 15 October.
Delegates are expected to discuss and debate international crime trends, offer training and formulate sustainable innovations to combat crime. The conference will also focus on trafficking, crimes against economies, environmental crimes as well as skills development.
“We have come a long way in the fight against crime and the partnership between SAPS and Crime Line has contributed to the success since 2007,” said the President.
As a direct result of tip-offs received via Crime Stop and Crime Line combined, 3 280 persons were arrested and over R56 million worth of illegal or unlawfully obtained property and goods were seized between 2007 and 2014.
With help from the Drug Watch campaign in Gauteng and the Western Cape, 30 000 drug offenders were taken into custody as a result of tip-offs.
"If we are to make even more meaningful inroads in the fight against crime, we need to fully activate our sense of community and each play our role in supporting the law-enforcement officers of South Africa, the Southern African Region and even further afield.
“We must blow the whistle on crime when we are aware of it, whether it happens on a street corner or behind a closed bedroom door,” said President Zuma.
The President added that tolerance of perpetrators of crime in communities was no longer an option and that in any country, the heinous murder of law-enforcement officers can never be supported, condoned or overlooked. – SAnews.gov.za
