Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has rejected calls for his resignation after statistics showed increases in crime.
”Well, I am not going to resign,” he told business people at a breakfast at the Johannesburg Country Club on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, lobby group AfriForum called for his resignation after a police crime-trends report showed an increase in crimes such as murder, car hijacking and aggravated robbery for the financial year 2006/07. The annual police statistics report is expected in September.
”Those who say I must resign should look to what they themselves are contributing to the fight against crime.
”I am going to continue … to find answers to the problems we have,” Nqakula said.
”The people who say I must resign — they must check how they are accountable to the high levels of crime in this country and what they are going to do.”
He said there were two types of crime: crimes of omission, and of commission.
”They are saying I am guilty of a crime of omission. Are you not also guilty of crimes of omission? … If [they] are saying I am guilty of omission, they themselves must check if they are guilty of omission.”
The police understood their responsibility and were prepared to die for it, as shown at Jeppestown last year where four police officers were killed in a siege with a group of men believed to have robbed a supermarket.
Over the next three years the budget allocation for safety and security is R42-billion, up from the R21-billion the department was allocated when he took his post in 2002.
Police personnel is expected to increase to 190 000 from the current 160 000, with an additional target of recruiting 100 000 reservists by 2009.
Local authorities should enforce laws relating to the consumption of alcohol, which played a large role in crime, he said.
According to a national police report released on Tuesday, murder increased by 2,4%, bank robberies by 118% and aggravated robbery by 4,6% between April 2006 and March 2007.
Robberies at business premises increased by 52,5% and robberies at residential premises increased by 25,4%.
Cash-in-transit heists increased by 21,9% and truck hijackings by 7,6 percent. Car hijackings increased by 6% and possession of illegal firearms increased by 5,6%.
Attempted murder decreased by 3%, indecent assault decreased by 5,5% while common robbery decreased by 5,8%.
Rape decreased by 5,2%, but at least 23% of cases are believed to be withdrawn during the investigation. — Sapa