Police stats to be released

[mcamp999]

By Donwald Pressly

The South African Police Service will release its official crime statistics at Parliament on September 21, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has said. He was addressing a media briefing at Parliament.

The report will also be released on that day in Pretoria. He said the security cluster had "set a target of between 7% and 10% annual decrease in crime over the next five years".

"The effort will target particularly contact crimes like murder, serious and violent assault, as well as sexual offences including rape. Given that most of the contact crimes relate to social interaction between people who know one another, the main thrust of the work of the law enforcement agencies is social crime prevention as a necessity project to reduce such crimes.

"Crime prevention and combating measures are built into the Integrated Development Plans of Local Government structures where the incidences of crime are high.

"This is necessary to deal with social crime and social sector delivery can play a major role in crime prevention. This relates to the delivery of social services like housing, water, electricity, social welfare, sport and recreation.

"The SAPS have been paying special attention recently to some of the schools that have been hit by crime. A total of 1,53 schools were visited by the police as part of the Safer Schools Project. The Ministry for Safety and Security is working with the Departments of Education and Social Development to define a more co-ordinated programme to deal with crime in our schools."