Improved cooperation between MECs and the South African Police Service (SAPS) Provincial Commissioners, crime trends analysis and sharing of best practices are some of the approaches that are beginning help in crime reduction.  The objective is now to ensure that these methodologies are sustained and coordinated.
This emerged during a quarterly meeting between the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa and all MECs responsible for policing (MINMEC) held in Cape Town today.  In attendance was also the Deputy Minister of Police, Ms Makhotso Sotyu, and MECs from Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape.  MECs from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Mpumalanga, North West as well as the National

Commissioner of Police, General Riah Phiyega tendered their apologies due to other commitments.

The meeting noted that timely and accurate assessment of crime trends played a crucial role in crime combating.  The ability to properly identify crime threats and patterns allows more effective planning and resource allocation.  Provinces such as Western Cape, Limpopo and KZN identified rape and violent crimes against women, children and elderly as being specific crime trend that required urgent attention.

In some cases the issue of abuse of customary practises as contributing to crimes against women and children.
Drugs, substance abuse and gangsterism were cited by Western Cape, KZN and Free State as growing and serious crime trends.  To address these, the MINMEC stressed that improved detection, investigation and prosecution were urgently required.  The meeting noted that government, at a Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster level has begun a process of developing an Inter-Governmental Relations Gang Strategy, which will be complemented by a Drug Master Plan. 
This strategy will encapsulate and outline the contribution of different role-players within the criminal justice system.  Part of the focus would be on capitalizing on the SAPS Forensic Services Laboratories in processing forensic cases in order to expedite prosecutions.  At the next MINMEC meeting a progress report will be shared. 

One of the crucial crime trends which have been on the increase in almost all the provinces is violence against women, children and the elderly.  Critically, focus must be placed on mobilizing society to make life difficult for perpetrators of such crimes.  The meeting however noted that police alone cannot address this challenge, that it should include an overhaul of gender, family relations and intolerance of abuse within communities. 
The meeting was informed of a collaborative effort by SAPS and the Civilian Secretariat for Police, who have commenced dialogues with various women’s rights groups around this issue.  It commended the initiative and reiterated that there should not be an antagonistic approach or a blame-game between the police and women’s rights groups but that closer cooperation is enhanced.  At the next MINMEC meeting a progress report will be shared.

The meeting further noted a need to develop a comprehensive and efficient national complaints plan to handle complaints on policing issues.  It emphasized a need to improve, develop and have a proper diagnostic monitoring system, which would improve the public’s perceptions about police. 

The plan should amongst others, outline clarity on various oversight and complaints processing structures such as the SAPS National Inspectorate, the Presidential Hotline so that the complaints are properly coordinated system.  It should also outline accountability mechanisms so that if a complaint has not been attended to, negligently of otherwise, that punitive and disciplinary measures are put in place.
The meeting further noted various interventions in better policing of protest and public order policing, as directed by President Zuma during the State of the Nation Address. The meeting noted SAPS progress in the implementation process of the public order policing, which is underpinned by relevant and ongoing and training including the role and responsibility of protest organisers.

The MINMEC further reiterated a need for community-orientated policing, which speaks to the manner in which police operate and how they understand and engage with the communities they serve. Equally this philosophy must recognize that policing is not something done to people but rather policing is something that is done with people.

The meeting was in unison in acknowledging that in all these safety challenges, there are no quick fix solutions but through clear time frames, accountability and monitoring mechanisms, crime reduction can be sustained.

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