A toxic mix gives criminals the upper hand
IT’S the Wild West. Criminals can just step into a bus taking hard-working citizens to work and rob them and open fire on them, leaving a trail of destruction.
They are not worried about being seen. Instead, they turn the system on its head, staging an audacious attack in broad daylight, during peak-hour traffic.
It is surreal. It is frightening. In the same week, a section of the busy N3 highway near Modderfontein, which links several suburbs to the airport in Gauteng, had to be closed after a dramatic shoot-out between police and suspected hijackers. Two police officers died, and an injured suspect is under police guard in hospital. The rest of the gang got away. This brazen attack also happened in broad daylight on the highway, with hundreds of users on the road.
Barely 24 hours later, not far from the N3 incident, a police officer was shot by suspected hijackers in Kempton Park.
Police were patrolling the area and spotted a truck parked on the side of the road. They ordered the driver to open the back. Four men jumped out and shot at the officer. He is fighting for his life while the suspects boldly hijacked another vehicle and drove away.
This is all in the space of three days.
The criminals are in overdrive. Just last week, in Park Station, one of the busiest transport hubs in sub-Saharan Africa, a police officer was shot and killed responding to a robbery.
The cops and law-abiding citizens are under siege. This is not normal. We are not at war; these are not acts of terrorism, but the everyday actions of criminals who seem to have the upper hand. We can get into a pedantic argument about the statistics and what they mean, but the reality is that we are facing a unique criminal who does not give a damn about being caught.
He arrogantly demonstrates his expertise in broad daylight and confidently continues his crime spree. And why shouldn’t he? The conditions seem to be conducive for the criminal to continue terrorising police and citizens without any interruption.
The police-to-population ratio is disturbing, with one officer serving 303 citizens. Coupled with this are concerns about the recruitment and training of policemen and women. Their training time has been reduced and many who should not qualify are wearing the blue uniform. It seems that, from a policy perspective, policing is not recognised as an important profession that requires a high degree of skill and integrity. The South African Police Service is treated as a safe haven for people who have failed elsewhere. This must surely place a heavy burden on the service and be particularly taxing for those officers who are up to the task — and there are many — because they must clean up after their colleagues and the politicians.
And let’s also not forget the cancer of police brutality. There have been numerous highly-publicised cases of police turning against innocent, unarmed citizens.
Another problem which causes much mirth among citizens, but is actually quite critical, is that members of the police are stressed, sick and obese. At the recent launch of a police wellness programme, Deputy Police Minister Maggie Sotyu revealed that 75% of police officers screened are obese, and described the general state of health in the force as “bleak”.
There are many more persistent problems, but the general sense is that we have a toxic mix of circumstances which gives the criminals the upper hand. Disturbingly, we also don’t seem to have a persuasive strategy to counter the brazen crime in our midst.
And until then, we will continue to see more wreathlaying ceremonies led by the police commissioner and minister.
We are facing a criminal who does not give a damn about being caught