Pretoria, Monday 6 March 2017: Following the release of the quarterly crime statistics by the Minister of Police, Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko and the Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane, for the period 1 April to 31 December 2016, a two day strategic session is currently underway in Mpumalanga to devise plans to build safer communities.
The two day strategic session which is being attended by all generals from all levels within the South African Police Service, will look at – amongst others – unpacking the crime statistics presented to the Portfolio Committee on Police in Parliament; identifying crime trends and patterns and also exploring strategies and best practices on how to combat crime in the country.
The overall crime statistics bear testament to the fact that police are recording significant strides in the fight against crime. This taking into cognizance the recorded decrease in crime levels across all the 17 community-reported serious crimes. However, a considerable concerted effort is still needed to ensure there is a further reduction of crime in South Africa.
Topping the agenda will be amongst others:
* The proliferation of firearms
* The reduction of sexual offences
* The escalating levels of crimes that are commonly known as the “trio crimes” in particular robbery with aggravating circumstances which include carjacking, house and business robbery.
The meeting includes all commanders and senior managers from national, provincial and cluster level. “This is not the time to celebrate, we are using this opportunity to go back to the drawing board and see how best we can enhance service delivery to our communities,” said the Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Phahlane.
