Use tools to fight Cape violence

RESEARCH: SOLDIERS, POLICE MAKE A DIFFERENCE, BUT...

Clear plan, problem-solving mechanism and intelligence approach needed.

Amid a fresh appeal by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde for the presence of soldiers deployed to violence-ravaged areas of the province to be extended, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) experts believe for the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and SA Police Service (Saps) collaboration to yield results, a clear plan, problem-solving mechanism and intelligence-led approach, which is measurable, was vital.

In their latest published paper on how best to curb violence in the troubled province, which has led to several deaths in some township

and Cape Flats hot spots, ISS consultant Stuart Mbanyele and senior researcher Andrew Faull argue that a clear strategy was vital in fighting the scourge.

According to Mabanyele and Faull, Cape Town was among the most violent cities in the world, having reported a murder rate of 69 per 100 000 residents in the past two years. Over 2 300 people were last year murdered in the Western Cape – mostly in specific parts of the Cape Flats.

“Assuming a bestcase scenario in which all violence ceases during the SANDF deployment, we’d still want to know how life in the affected communities has changed,” the experts said.

“It would also be important to establish whether mechanisms to address structural drivers of violence have been put in place.

“To evaluate the success of the army’s deployment, we need to know why they were deployed.

“Reliable indicators should be selected, tracked and regularly reported. Where data suggests the plan isn’t working, it should be adapted.

“The deployment of the SANDF provides the national and provincial governments with an opportunity to alter the violence entrenched in the Cape Flats. “To do so, however, they need to be clear about what they want to achieve and how they hope to do so.”

There was evidence that hot spot policing was effective, especially when coupled with problem-solving initiatives.

Focused deterrence, said Mbanyele and Faull, was “another effective tool”. “This involves identifying likely offenders and offering them support services like substance-dependency treatment and job training.”

Where data suggests the plan isn’t working, it should be adapted