Warwick Bruce Chapman

1. Collect litter near your property whenever you see it
2. Report dumping and don’t give up until it is cleared up
2. Clean your yard, paint your house, renovate
3. Businesses can join the Umbilo Business Forum
4. Community organisations can join the Glenwood Community Forum
5. Enhance our working relationship by joining the Community Policing Forum
6. Participating in the CPF’s community patrols to better understand our safety issues
7. BREAK DOWN WALLS! Walls have closed off and segregated our once open and integrated community. Contrary to popular belief, walls almost never enhance security. In many cases walls hide criminal activity which is taking place from people passing by. Replace your walls with fences. Get to know your neighbours again. Give the surrounding community the ability to keep an eye on your safety.
8. Use our parks, and help to keep them clean.
9. Get the council to trim overgrown bushes, or trim them yourselves.
10. If you know someone who speeds in our residential neighbourhood, let them know how you feel.

If all community members contribute on one way or another, we will collectively contribute to the improvement in the quality and safety of our community.

STATEMENT BY CLLR WARWICK CHAPMAN
Umbilo Ward Councillor
eThekwini Municipality

MEC Willies Mchunu declines to hold Police accountable

DURBAN, 2 April 2012 – KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu, today spurned a request to secure commitments from the Umbilo Station Commander and the Provincial Commissioner of Police to embrace the CPF and the community, and to commit the Unbilo Police Station to fighting crime; a request that Democratic Alliance Cllr Warwick Chapman views as not only essential to addressing the problem of crime, but also in line with the police mandate in the South African Constitution.

During a 4-hour public meeting on 2 April 2012 to deal with the long running problems at the Umbilo Police Station, the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu spurned a request to secure commitments from the Umbilo Station Commander and the Provincial Commissioner of Police.

The Umbilo SAPS has been in the media over the past years for all the wrong reasons. Umbilo SAPS’s poor handling of rape cases, allegations of Police involvement in crime, particularly the explosion of drug-related crime, lack of action on known crime threats and lack of commitment to work with the CPF angered much of the Umbilo community. These frustrations boiled over into a public protest outside the Police station in February which caught the attention of the MEC who received a memorandum and committed to meeting with the community.

The situation exploded last week when Mthokozisi Ngcobo of Oliver Lea Drive in Umbilo was fatally stabbed by three attackers in Umbilo Park. Umbilo Park is a serious crime hotspot which has repeatedly been brought to the attention of Umbilo SAPS without any significant intervention ever having taken place. Police officers are said to have reverted that since they cannot drive their vehicles into the park, they cannot patrol it, dismissing requests that they do so on foot.

During the latter part of the public meeting I rose to acknowledge the intervention which had taken place by the MEC and Provincial Commissioner and request a commitment from the Station Commander to embrace the CPF and the community and commit his station to fighting crime, and that the Provincial Commissioner commit to handling any allegation of Police involvement in crime.

The MEC immediately rose and told the meeting “We are not here to hold the Police accountable. We are not here to extract commitments from the Police.” He then instructed both the station commander and the Provincial Commissioner that they need not build any such commitments into their responses to the issues raised during the meeting.

The MEC is absolutely incorrect. The problems at Umbilo SAPS are entirely the result of an absence of accountability and a lack of commitment from the Police. The community crime fighting partnership relies as a precursor on SAPS fulfilling its constitutional mandate to “effectively prevent, combat and investigate crime”. Securing a commitment from SAPS and ensuring they are held accountable are entirely appropriate under the circumstances.

The MEC in partnership with the Provincial Commissioner has a legal responsibility to play an oversight role and to ensure effective and accountable management of Police stations in KZN. To spurn a request to secure public commitment from the Police to do their jobs properly can be seen as nothing other than the MEC shielding the failure to deliver by SAPS management.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Cllr Warwick Chapman
083 7797 094
warwickc@da.org.za

In December 2009 through a Parliamentary question outlined below, Dianne Kohler Barnard MP established that the moratorium has been lifted on 10 December 2009.

36/1/4/1/200900224
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 2177
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNALQUESTION PAPER: 6 NOVEMBER 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 27- 2009)
Date reply submitted : 15 December 2009
Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) to ask the Minister of Police:
Whether the moratorium on recruiting new reservists will be lifted; if not, why not; ifso, when?

NW2883E

REPLY:

On Thursday 10 December 2009 the Minister of Police released a press statement informing people that the Moratorium on recruitment of reservists had been lifted.The lifting of this Moratorium will allow people who wish to volunteer their services on to assist the South African Police Service in the fight against crime to do so as long as they meet certain criteria laid down by the department.

Reply to question 2177 approved by Minister.

Then, in July 2010 I came upon a letter which explained to a Station Commander that while the moratorium had been lifted, it had actually not been lifted in practice. It is now over two years since the moratorium was lifted and still we are not recruiting reservists SAPS members to fight crime.

2010-07-28

The Station Commander
South African Police Services
Pinetown

Moratorium on Recruitment of Reservists : Question from Parliament by Ms D Kohler Barnard on 2009-11-06

1. Your minute 3/1/5/1/151 dated 2010-07-26 refers.

2. In the email requesting information on the subject matter received from the Pinetown Crime Prevention Commander it was not indicated that the matter was raised at a CPF meeting by Mr XXX and it was assumed that the CP Commander was making enquiries in order to expedite the recruitment of reservists, hence the brevity of the reply.

3. At a meeting held in Pretoria on 23 February this year between the Secretary to the Minister, M/s Jenny Irish-Qhobosheane and Brigadier Kennedy, the moratorium was discussed and it was made clear that despite the answer given in parliament and the subsequent Media Statement by the Minister, a decision had been taken by Division Visible Policing and Division Personnel Services that, pending the approval of the revised National Instruction and the completion of the necessary Naitonal Audit, recruiting and even reinstatement of ex members would of necessity remain on hold.

4. Subsequent to that meeting Brigadier Kennedy met with Brig J LeRoux, National Reservist Coordinator in the office of the National Commissioner had decided to impose a waiting period to allow for the conclusion of the Audit and publication of the revised National Instruction, before the lifting of the Moratorium would be confirmed by a letter from Divisional Commander, Personnel Services, whose office is the only instance who has the authority to make such a decision.

5. In view of the first-hand knowledge of these discussions, this office is of the opinion that the Minister is fully aware of the plans of National Head Office and the fear expressed by Station Commander XXX, in paragraph 7 of the above minute while understood and appreciated, is nevertheless not of consequence.

SIGNED
f/PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER: KWAZULU-NATAL (Maj General)
B A NTANJANA S.O.E

I will be pressing our Shadow Minister of Police to pursue this issue with the new National Police Commissioner and ensure we start supplementing our regular force with reservists again as soon as is possible!

Despite assurances that the planned illegal evictions in Cato Crest had been stopped, late this afternoon residents were surprised when 5 dwellings were destroyed in what would appear to be a politically motivated action.

Today at 3pm the DA’s councillor in Cato Crest Hlanganani Gumbi and DA Spokesperson on Housing Cllr Warwick Chapman met with Mayor James Nxumalo to discuss the illegal threats of evictions in Cato Crest by the ward councillor and ANC Branch Executive Committee in the area. While the meeting was taking place, unknown to the DA or the Mayor, earthmoving machinery demolished 5 dwellings in Cato Crest.

Mayor Nxumalo and Chairperson for Human Settlements Cllr Nigel Gumede both unequivocally stated the evictions must be lawful and alternate accommodation must be provided. Mayor Nxumalo requested that the DA compile a formal complaint and submit it to the Muncipal Manager Mr Sbu Sithole as soon as possible and forward a copy to his office. He assured the DA that an investigation would take place from the City Manager’s office into how it is that a political structure of the ANC could be handling evictions and demolitions in Cato Crest.

The demolitions which were taking while the meeting was being held were undertaken under the supervision of the ward councillor’s assistant who is said by community members to have told them that, “We are coming here to show you that you must move”, and after demolishing the structures said, “Now you can call your DA.”

Cllr Gumbi, took affected residents to Cato Manor SAPS to lay charges relating to the demolition of their structures and destruction of property, however SAPS declined to open any cases. “We were told not to open new cases but instead to meet with the investigating officer Tuesday morning to include these charges in the existing case”, said Cllr Gumbi.

Cllr Gumbi has spend the better part of 48 hours working with community members to stop this illegal action. The SAPS have been extremely reluctant to enforce the law and prevent these illegal evictions. Only after senior MPs and MPLs intervened was any assistance from SAPS forthcoming. At the demolitions which took place today, SAPS did not respond.

The DA reiterates its full support for the eradication of shack settlements and the provision of formal housing in eThekwini. We however require that each step in the process of converting shack settlements into formal housing are undertaken lawfully and with respect for the dignity of those affected as a result. “We condemn the direct involvement of political structures in the work of our City government and cite it as a blatant example of the conflation of party and state”, said Cllr Chapman.

“We call on Mayor Nxumalo and City Manager Sbu Sithole to intervene as a matter of urgency and stop any further illegal action. SAPS also need to ensure they enforce the law without favour.”, said Cllr Gumbi.

MEDIA QUERIES:
Gumbi 076 288 8844
Chapman 083 7797 094

PHOTOS:

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ENDS

Why are we not focusing on crime prevention in South Africa?

“South Africa has had a comprehensive crime prevention policy agenda for some time in the form of the 1996 National Crime Prevention Strategy and the 1998 White Paper on Safety and Security. Despite this, prevention has remained very much a second cousin within the South African criminal justice family, notwithstanding the fact that there is widespread agreement that it warrants far more attention.” — Julie Berg and Clifford Shearing in “The practice of crime prevention”

Crime prevention – 1996 National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) *

This is South Africa’s overarching policy on crime prevention. It was intended to be the guiding framework for a wide range of interdepartmental programs aimed at increasing safety. The four “pillars” of the NCPS covered improving criminal justice functioning, environmental design, community values and education, and transnational crime.

At its peak, the NCPS was seen as one of six pillars of the country’s National Growth and Development Strategy, a far-sighted move that recognized the vital role safety plays in development. However, the change of administration in 1999 ushered in a new approach to how government would deal with crime. Political pressure was mounting on government to deal with the rampant crime problem, and the longer-term approach of the NCPS was not appeasing the fears of the public or of politicians. In the end, shortrange thinking prevailed, the Growth and Development Strategy was shelved in favour of the Growth, Employment, and Redistribution Strategy (GEAR).

With the possible exception of victim support, most of the social programs envisaged by the NCPS never came to fruition.

Law enforcement – 2000 National Crime Combating Strategy (NCCS) *

The 1996 National Crime Prevention Strategy was largely drafted by a panel of civilians and was widely distributed for comment. The NCCS, on the other hand, was produced in-house by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and has never been issued as a public document. The NCPS was, in theory, an interdepartmental policy, while the NCCS is explicitly a security cluster matter.

These differences are indicative not only of the shift towards an overtly law enforcement approach to crime reduction but also of the pressure to respond quickly – which partly explains the lack of consultation and the NCCS’s focus on the police.

Adapted from the ISS’s “Crime and Crime Prevention in South Africa: 10 Years After“