/ 8 July 2006

DA: Nqakula can redeem himself

The Democratic Alliance says it hopes Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula will redeem himself with an anti-crime drive he announced on Friday.

Nqakula said in Pretoria that police would launch special operations in the next six months to combat serious and violent crimes.

Nqakula spoke after a meeting with top police management, provincial safety and security MECs and provincial police commissioners.

In reaction, DA safety and security spokesperson Roy Jankielsohn said: ”If the current situation is to be effectively addressed, the minister needs to lead from the front and set the example in this regard.

”To date, he has failed to do so. It is the DA’s hope that the minister will use this opportunity to redeem himself in the public eye and that this will form part of a much more comprehensive government strategy to improve the criminal justice system as a whole, to ensure that criminals and detected, convicted and punished for their crimes.”

Nqakula said: ”We would bring to the attention of the criminals out there that we’re going to be on their necks, and indicate to the South African public that we would do whatever is necessary for us to provide safety and security for them.”

Extra police would be deployed on the ground to conduct high visibility police operations.

Nqakula did not elaborate on the specific operations but National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi promised that ”there will be some dust”.

”Some of the things we are going to do would require the support of the people of our nation,” Nqakula said.

During the six months police would focus on serious and violent crimes including murder, robbery and rape. There would be heightened police visibility, which would include cordon-and-search operations as well as roadblocks. Nqakula said the search and confiscation of illegal firearms would be increased because the role that firearms played.

He called on the public to interact with police while the operations would be taking place.

”We would be happy if they could tell us what houses are being used for crime, what streets are the worst streets in terms of crime and so on.

”The people are going see these things we are talking about, they are going to see members of the service, there is going to be visibility,” Nqakula said. – Sapa