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Neem die implementering van die Nasionale Landelike Veiligheidstrategie ernstig op om geweldsmisdaad op plase te voorkom | Take seriously the implementation of the National Rural Safety Strategy to prevent violent crime on farms

English to follow:

1 Desember 2022

Alhoewel Agri SA die 2022 veiliger feesseisoen-beplanning wat in November deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens (SAPD) van stapel gestuur is, verwelkom, bly dit noodsaaklik dat minister Bheki Cele besonderhede verskaf vir die uitrol van die Nasionale Landelike Beveilingstrategie in landelike boerderygemeenskappe na die Landelike Veiligheidsberaad wat in Junie 2022 in Parys gehou is. Agri SA versoek minister Cele en polisiebestuur om die implementering van die strategie ernstig op te neem.

Landelike gemeenskappe wag steeds op vordering met die implementering van die Nasionale Landelike Beveilingstrategie, wat tydens die beraad in Parys herbevestig is. Dit moet dringend volledig in elke landelike polisiestasie geïmplementeer word. Die strategie bied die beste manier om die misdade wat boerderygemeenskappe raak, te hanteer, mits dit behoorlik geïmplementeer en van die nodige hulpbronne voorsien word. Dit is vier maande sedert die beraad gehou is en die minister swyg oor die vordering van die aanvaarding van die voorgestelde intervensies wat by die beraad ooreengekom is en nou deur die kabinet oorweeg moet word. Agri SA het in ‘n brief aan Minister van Polisie, ‘n beroep op hom gedoen om hierdie proses te prioritiseer en te bespoedig ten einde landelike veiligheid aan te spreek. Ons wag nog op ‘n reaksie van minister Cele. As die doeltreffende implementering van die strategie nie ernstig deur polisiebestuur opgeneem word nie, sal die uitgebreide debatte deur die loop van die Beraad van geen waarde wees nie.

Suid-Afrika is een van die gewelddadigste lande ter wêreld met ‘n hoë moordsyfer. Hierdie misdade is sommige van die redes waarom Suid-Afrikaners onveilig voel in die land. Dit word verder geïllustreer deur die onlangse misdaadstatistieke wat die Minister van Polisie vir die tweede kwartaal van 2022/2023 bekend gestel het en wat ‘n toename toon in vergelyking met dieselfde tydperk vir 2021/2022. Moord is op met 13% of 76 moorde per dag, terwyl alle kontakmisdade teen die persoon, roof met verswarende omstandighede, en huis rowe met 8,4% toegeneem het. Daar was ook ‘n toename in plaasmoorde vir dieselfde tydperk.

Hierdie misdade raak die boeregemeenskap daagliks. Weens die uitgestrektheid van landelike boerderygebiede en die lang afstande vanaf dienssentrums en die polisie is die boeregemeenskap meer kwesbaar vir landelike misdaad, en hulle moet op mekaar staatmaak vir hulp in noodsituasies soos ‘n plaasaanval. Die blitsoperasies wat die polisie in die vooruitsig stel tesame met hul verskerpte pogings om hierdie misdade te bekamp, moet ingesluit word in die polisie se operasionele planne vir die landelike boerderygebiede aangesien Suid-Afrika nie kan toelaat dat misdaad die lewens van die boerderygemeenskappe of hul eiendom gedurende die feestyd bedreig nie.

Die verhoogde sigbaarheid wat die polisie gedurende die feestyd in die vooruitsig gestel het, tesame met misdaadbekampingsoperasies, moet ook met doeltreffende misdaadintelligensie gepaardgaan. Dit kan slegs uitgevoer word deur funksionele misdaadintelligensiestrukture wat in staat is om misdaad te voorkom voordat dit plaasvind en in staat is om toepaslik te reageer wanneer dit plaasvind. Dit vereis sigbare polisiëring van misdaad-geaffekteerde boerderygebiede en die vermoë om vinnig en doeltreffend op misdaadverwante inligting te reageer.

Agri SA doen ‘n beroep op boerderygemeenskappe om meer bedag te wees tydens die feestyd en om te verseker dat hul beskermende maatreëls in plek is. Alhoewel hierdie maatreëls nie alle misdade kan voorkom nie, kan dit ‘n aanval vertraag of voorkom wat mense die geleentheid gee om alarm te maak. Ons weet dat boeregemeenskappe reeds lofwaardige werk doen om mekaar te beskerm en hulle moet krediet kry vir hul inisiatiewe onder moeilike situasies. Hierdie inisiatiewe moet gedurende die feestyd verskerp word.

Laastens doen Agri SA ‘n beroep op lede om saam met die polisie op plaaslike vlak te werk en alle misdaad- en verwante aktiwiteite aan te meld. Agri SA verwag van die polisie om alle misdade wat by hulle aangemeld word te ondersoek en dossiere deeglik voor te berei vir die suksesvolle vervolging van verdagtes. Dit behels die aktiewe insameling van betroubare bewyse teen verdagtes.

Agri SA wens die polisie sterkte toe in hul pogings om kriminele aktiwiteite gedurende die feestyd te bekamp en te voorkom.

Navrae

Kobus Visser

Direkteur: Agri SA Landelike Veiligheid en Provinsiale Sake

Uys van der Westhuijzen

Voorsitter van Agri SA se Sentrum van Uitnemendheid: Landelike Veiligheid

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1 December 2022

While Agri SA welcomes the 2022 safer festive season operations launched by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in November, it remains essential that Minister Bheki Cele provides details for the rollout of the National Rural Safety Strategy in rural farming communities after the Rural Safety Summit held in June 2022 in Parys. Agri SA urges Minister Cele and police management to take seriously the implementation of the strategy.

As it stands, rural communities are still awaiting progress on the implementation of the National Rural Safety Strategy, which was reaffirmed during the Summit in Parys. This needs to be implemented fully in every rural police station urgently. The strategy provides the best means to deal with the crimes affecting farming communities provided that it is properly implemented and resourced. It has been four months since the Summit was held and the Minister has been silent on the progress of the adoption by the Cabinet of the proposed interventions agreed at the Summit. Agri SA therefore called on the Minister of Police, in a letter addressed to him, to prioritise and to fast-track this process in order to address rural safety. We are still waiting for a response from Minister Cele. If the effective implementation of the strategy is not taken seriously by police management, the extensive engagements over the course of the Summit would be of no value.

South Africa is one of the most violent countries in the world with a high murder rate. This is illustrated by the recent crime statistics released by the Minister of Police for the second quarter of 2022/2023, showing an increase in relation to the same period for 2021/2022, in murder of 13% or 76 murders per day, an increase of all contact crimes against the person and aggravated robbery with robberies at residents increasing with 8,4%. There was also an increase in farm murders for the same period.

These crimes affect the farming community daily. Due to the vastness of rural farming areas and the long distances from service centres and the police, the farming community are more vulnerable to rural crime, and they have to depend on one another for assistance in emergency situations such as a farm attack. The blitz operations envisaged by the police together with their intensified efforts to combat these crimes must be included in the police’s operational plans for the rural farming areas as South Africa cannot allow criminality to threaten the lives of the farming communities or their property during the festive season.

The heightened visibility envisaged by the police during the festive season coupled with crime combatting operations also needs to be accompanied by effective crime intelligence. This can only be executed by functional crime intelligence structures that are capable of preventing crime before it occurs and able to react appropriately when it occurs. This requires visible policing of crime-affected farming areas and the ability to respond rapidly and effectively to crime-related information.

Agri SA therefore calls on farming communities to be more alert during the festive season and to ensure that their protective measures are in place. Although these measures cannot prevent all crimes, they can delay or foil an attack giving people the opportunity to raise the alarm. We know that farming communities already do a laudable job of protecting each other and they must be credited for their initiatives under difficult situations. These initiatives must be heightened during the festive season.

Finally, Agri SA urges our farmer members to work with the police at the local level and report all crime and suspicions activities. Agri SA expects the police to investigate all crimes reported to them and thoroughly prepare dockets for the successful prosecution of suspects. This involves the active pursuit and gathering of reliable full proof evidence against suspects.

Agri SA wishes the police well in their endeavours in combatting and preventing criminal activities during the festive season.

Enquiries:

Kobus Visser

Director: Agri SA Rural Safety & Provincial Affairs

Uys van der Westhuijzen

Chair of Agri SA’s Centre of Excellence: Rural Safety