When society is tired of crime

Many people will tell you that they might not take an active part in mob justice, but they are happy when they see a criminal punished publicly for their deeds. There has been a series of violent social media videos making rounds recently, of communities who have decided that enough is enough with the increase of crime!

Crime has escalated to a point that nobody feels safe in their neighbourhoods, homes and communities, and members of the public have decided to take the law into their hands and sort out criminals with their own bare hands. While this is an illegal act that Police caution against, members of the public seem to turn a deaf ear because of the trauma that criminals have subjected them to. Criminals on a daily basis attack individuals and families in the most brutal ways. They do not even consider children and the elderly. When they get into a home, they dish out their violence, leaving many families mourning the loss of family members. Just this week, an elderly man was stabbed to death because he went out of the house to enquire about the noise he and his family were hearing in their yard at night. Many have been lured outside their houses through taps that are left open, only to be killed when they step out. This is a disturbing trend because criminals are increasingly disregarding the value of human life. This is the time for neighbourhood watch groups to intensify their work and ensure that homes and communities are safe as we approach the festive season. It is important to join such an initiative if you have not yet. Neighbourhood watch programs have proven to be effective in fighting crimes within communities. It is also evident that members of the public cannot solely rely on the police to offer their homes and neighborhoods protection. Considering a neighborhood watch might be the solution. Some may feel like it is not necessary to be part of such initiatives perhaps because they cannot afford it or they are just not interested in another “social club”. The fact is, most people have one way or the other been a victim of crime, and would not wish for it to happen again. While losing valuable property is a serious setback, material things can always be replaced. But the psychological effect on the other hand is traumatizing and can leave a lasting effect on victims.

All of us want safety and security especially in our homes, where we should feel the most safe. The most obvious advantage of a neighbourhood watch is that it lowers the risk for crime in a neighbourhood. The unity of the members of the group can wade away criminals who would have difficulty penetrating such tight neat communities where everyone knows everyone. You will be able to notice when something is out of place or unusual, so you know when to be concerned. Criminals will know that should they try something, neighbours will raise alarm and therefore stay away. There is power in numbers.

A neighbourhood watch program ignites a sense of self-empowerment for the community. They feel like they have the power to take control of their safety, especially that such groups often work with other stakeholders including police, private security companies, political leaders and traditional leaders. Don’t be left out, be safe.

1.2 allowing registration officers to keep the registration booklets and take them to their homes has resulted in situations where many individuals were registered overnight, outside the normal registration hours, and without presenting themselves physically to such registration officers, or even availing the requisite documentation.

1.3 thus, the Electoral Act, insofar as it mandates the physical appearance of a prospective voter before the registration officer for registration, has been egregiously flouted. As a result of this practice individuals who never presented themselves for registration have found their names in the voters’ rolls.

1.4 the certified voters’ roll must be generated from accurate and credible data., as well as an electronic data storage and retrieval system. credible and reliable data which has not been manipulated or tampered with in any manner whatsoever.

1.5 an electronic data storage and retrieval system must have embedded checks and restraints on any manipulation and tampering and must be liable to scrutiny through forensic audits. The IEC must ensure that activities, time and sequence of events in its system must be open to examination by stakeholders to assist with trust in the systems and credibility of its operations.

1.6 One highly shocking practice which the IEC carried out in the 2029 General Elections was to have a different voters’ roll from the certified one and have its officers make phone calls to some undeclared number and then claim that names of certain individuals, which were not in the certified voters’ roll were present in some “Master Roll” which is alien to any process and provision of the Electoral Act.

2. In the premises of the above, we would like to be furnished with full information regarding:

2.1 what system and software, is the IEC using for its data storage and management?

2.2 when was the system installed and who is its supplier”

2.3 is there a service level agreement between the IEC and the supplier or manufacturer of such system and software and, if so, how long has the agreement been in place?

2.4 where is the system housed at the moment and where was it housed in the last General Elections of 2019?

2.5 who captures and inputs the data from the registration booklets into the system and at what times is this done?

2.6 please furnish the names of all personnel, either with the IEC or outside of it, who have rights of access to the IEC data management system and indicate the scope of their rights.

3. In critical part, we demand that the IEC undertake to ensure the proper handling of the registration booklets and ensure that they are not left to the registration officers to take home as they have done in the past.