Cape Town – Police Deputy Minister Maggie Sotyu has urged members of the community to play an active role in the fight against crime, even if the perpetrators are their relatives or next of kin.
The Deputy Minister made this plea when she went to engage with members of the community in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape on Monday as part of government’s Imbizo Focus Week.
She also said she was concerned in the rise in the number of officers who are killed in the line of duty, and urged community members to help report the perpetrators.
She said the community knew who the gangsters and rapists are and they should work with the police.
“It is very important that the police work hand in hand with the community.
“I am pleading to the community, please talk to your children who are criminals to stop killing our police officers. Let us look after the safety of our police officers because when they leave their homes to protect me, you and the country, make sure that you become their protector.
“Each and every week, I attend a funeral of a police officer,” she said.
The Deputy Minister also said that while some police officers are also not angels, it was important for members of the community to report them to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) instead of taking matters into their own hands.
“Western Cape is the worst province when it comes to crime. That is why we are pleading with you to be your own police and make sure that the wrongs that are happening in the province you report to us.”
Earlier, Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Arno Lamoer urged members of the Khayelitsha community to work with police in rooting out crime in the area.
“We want to commit that every officer in the province to serve this community with dignity and to ensure that we bring the perpetrators of crime to justice.
“We also want the community to participate in the fight against crime and come on board because the fight against crime is not only about the police, but it is about the community,” he said.
He said that police live by a Code of Conduct through which they aim to ensure that communities remain safe.
Khayelitsha has been a subject of media reports due to the level of crime in the area, from gangsterism to the recent land invasions that saw a rampant group illegally occupying privately-owned land near the Nolungile train station.
The Lieutenant General said the illegal land invasions have left police with no choice but to deploy officers to safe guard against the criminal acts, and that this put a strain on policing capacity in the area.
He said 100 additional police trainees were identified by community members and are currently being trained and will be integrated into the Khayelitsha police services in a year’s time.
“We as the SA Police Service are committed to serve this community, but we are also open to people to come forward and criticise us if we are not doing something right.
“We are not perfect, we need you to tell us where we can improve,” he said.
Local ward councillor Patrick Mngxunyeni also called on members of the community to join the fight against crime.
“The fight against crime is not only the responsibility of the police. It is our responsibility as the community members to get involved.”
Mngxunyeni said community involvement would also help in bolstering intelligence gathering in order to ensure that there is crime prevention instead of only reacting to crime.
He condemned the recent spate of killings of police officers, and said residents should rather join hands with the police and fight crime.
Representing residents, Ndithini Tyhido, the chairperson of the Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF), called on local authorities to ensure that there is sufficient street lighting in the area.
“We are continuously campaigning for full lighting in Khayelitsha and even Lieutenant General Lamoer says for effective policing to happen, we need to have good lighting.
“The mass lights in Khayelitsha are not working and we need to ensure that there is enough lighting in our streets if we are to win a fight against crime.
“The KDF commits that it is going to be a leader of a community we want to see,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
