More violence in crime.

[I Robot]

At a loss for words after reading this story on IOL. So many "contradictions" (I'm struggling to find the right word; it certainly isn't irony).

A broken cellphone and R3 in cash - these were the spoils of an armed robbery which has left a Pretoria man fighting for his life in a city hospital.

Jason Marshall, who has lost a kidney and part of his intestines, was shot in the back while asleep with his wife, Cindy, in their Faerie Glen home.

The shooting, in the early hours of last Friday, comes in a period which has seen an upsurge in brutality in violent attacks on countless Pretoria residents by armed gangs.

........

The surge in the brutality and violence in crimes - which seems to contradict the apparent fall in crime as shown by SAPS statistics - is confirmed by researchers and city Community Policing Forum (CPF) members who warn of worse to come.

........

Tshwane University of Technology policing lecturer Johan Burger said information showed that violence accompanying the commission of crimes was increasing.

He said he believed this was because of recent successes by police and that the prosecuting authority was frustrating criminals, who were finding it more and more difficult to get away with their actions.

Successful policing is making the violence worse?

[Alan]

LOL, Yip the more effecient our police force is, the higher the crime rate, doesn't this make sense to anyone else or only us that reside in SA.

[Yvonne]

Armed Robbery at Restaurant

Just read an article in the Bedforview/Edenvale News:

Restaurant, staff and diners held up by armed robbers.
As the robbers left the Car guard managed to stop an Edenvale SAP vehicle. The policeman told her "he could not chase the car as his car was not fast enough"
Naturally this statement is denied by the police, by taking statements and opening a case, the situation was taken control of.

There is absolutely nothing to add to that is there?

I want so much to be positive - but what hope do we have?

Yvonne S

[Dave A]

I'm afraid there aren't too many cars that are faster than a speeding bullet. Personally I can't blame individual police from hesitating before rushing into a potential massacre with the Jeppestown incident so fresh in their memory.

The solution has to be in getting the right resources in place. If the same political will was applied to reducing crime that we see in some other aspects of South African life - there would surely be significant progress.

I think ever-increasing pressure from all the citizens of this country can only improve government efforts to cure this disease. If government does not like violent crime in the headlines, then stop the crime instead of trying to minimise the headlines.

[Candy Bouwer]

then stop the crime instead of trying to minimise the headlines.

Dave don't you think we should have a harsher penalty system...it seems to work in other places...I am refering to branding or other and for that matter even the Death penalty. These people need to think twice before commiting these horrible things. I recon the only way to do that is to set an example...It's really to bad that we don't use the rod any longer as our children are going to reap this reward and become the spoilt brats that the old biblical quote predicts and then some. This i truly believe is all our own fault, because of the way we allow things to develop without the discipline following through!

[Alan]

This is a situation that will be out of control in the near future, if not already. In a normal civilized society we depend on the police and justice systems to protect us from the animals out there. What happens when these fail? As a individual you have the right to life and as a family person you have the instinct to protect those that are close to you. Now if you cannot depend on the law makers to do this, it is left up to you at the end of the day. This is where i think the problem is going to arise, sooner or later people are going to say enough and you will end up with vigilanties and private police forces for entire areas. I know as family man and parent if somebody enters my private home and has the intention of hurting my family. I would not hesitate doing something about it and if it leads to the loss of life of the criminal so be it.
Dave i hear what you say about the police hesitating but then why choose that profession. Why become a fireman if you have a fear of fire? Unfortunatly police are faced with this all over the world, and have to step up to the plate when called upon.

[Candy Bouwer]

I would not hesitate doing something about it and if it leads to the loss of life of the criminal so be it.

People whom i know that have "reacted" in this manner ....are now sitting in the boat of being on the wrong side of the law. You just can't win.!!

[Alan]

I hear what you saying Candy, but really what do you do, it boils down to frustration at the end of the day.

[Dave A]

Well. It looks like whining helps.

According to this story in M&G, the minister is now promising more action.

"We would bring to the attention of the criminals out there that we're going to be on their necks, and indicate to the South African public that we would do whatever is necessary for us to provide safety and security for them," Nqakula vowed.

Wouldn't it be nice if the sound of packing suitcases was from the criminals packing to leave South Africa.

[Candy Bouwer]

It's really a pity we don't have another "Australia" available in the world today...pack them off into an unknown and leave them to fend for themselves. In hind site this must have been an ideal solution - "banishment"-it has a nice ring to it!....i know i'm just dreaming...

[I Robot]

Disturbing M&G article here on violence in SA.

Some highlights:

Statistically a South African is 12 times more likely to be murdered than the average American and his chances of being killed are 50 times greater than if he lived in Western Europe. In countries not at war, only a Colombian has a greater chance of dying in a hail of gunfire.

"This in an extraordinarily violent society and nobody understands it," said Peter Gastrow, a crime analyst with the Institute for Security Studies in Cape Town.

"The reasons seem to be unbelievably complex. There is no explanation that makes sense. The million dollar question is, 'Why?' If we could understand that we could start to fix it. But we can't. All we can do now is ask religious people to pray for us," said Gastrow.

.....

Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula didn't help the government's public relations effort when he recently suggested that people who whine about crime should just leave the country.

That was shortly before the Jeppestown massacre. After that, a shaken Nqakula then urged police to "use [your] firearms to defend yourself and the lives of all peace-loving South Africans".

Rank and file police officers, concerned that 54 police officers have been killed already this year in South Africa recently demonstrated -- demanding better protection, more powerful weapons, and increased training to cope with organised, professional and better armed criminals.

"They are killing us. We need protection from the state," Tinus Ntimane, the police union's regional secretary told The Star newspaper in Johannesburg. – Sapa-AP

Now, when the cops want protection... I guess we're in trouble.

[Dave A]

This story on M&G might throw some light on the subject, particularly this little snippet:

"There are 84 959 inmates in our correctional detention centres for serious and violent crimes, including murder."

Almost a third were unsentenced inmates, whose cases were still before the courts.

That court backlog can't help.

[Candy Bouwer]

I still think another "Austraila" would be the answer.

[Dave A]

Maybe this is the new Australia. Would explain a few things.

[Dave A]

A comment seen fairly regularly is that we need to address the underlying causes of violent crime. Seems our President has been paying attention to the issue to, going by this article in M&G.

Almost 80% of murders in South Africa are committed by people who know their victim, and most occur in situations where people have been drinking, President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday.

"You have something like ... almost 80%, for instance, of murders in the country occur among people who know one another; not among strangers."

Speaking in Cape Town at a meeting of the National House of Traditional Leaders (NHTL), he illustrated this point by saying it was unlikely anyone walking down Cape Town's Adderley Street would be pounced on and killed.

Earlier, members of the NHTL had vowed to help put a stop to high levels of domestic abuse in South Africa, a commitment Mbeki welcomed.

"As I was coming here by car, listening to the radio, they were talking about people setting up websites on the internet just dedicated to this matter of crime.

"The discussion between the callers and the journalists sitting in the studio, almost all of it was about what is the government doing and what are the police doing.

"And I was saying to myself we still haven't clearly communicated what is actually a very simple message: that rape occurs in houses. There is no police officer in the house. And there can't be police officers in our houses.

"What was missing from this discussion on the radio was this element: what are we doing as a people against this domestic abuse?"

Mbeki said Cabinet had discussed "various types of violent crime" during its meeting on Wednesday.

"You can see that a lot of the murder in this country occurs over weekends. Occurs in situations where people are drinking.

"The reason I say almost 80% of murders occur among people who know one another is because they are in that kind of setting. They get drunk, they quarrel, they take out knives and guns and break bottles and so on."

Mbeki said it was not feasible to post a police officer in every shebeen.

Now we're getting somewhere. The first step in applying solutions is to properly understand the problem.

Well done Thabo!