The South African Institute for Race Relations (SAIRR) says the police should cooperate better with the private security industry, which has swelled to more than double the number of police officers. The institute released its study of crime trends since 1994 in Johannesburg this morning which found that for the most part, the fight against crime is being won. However, violent crime remains a problem.
The police have announced that annual crime statistics will be released in Cape Town.
The institute’s Frans Cronje says crime trends reflect how society has adapted to crime. “Criminal syndicates have had to become more sophisticated to counter the technology and more violent to counter the rise of the private security industry.”
He says the police should include this private security industry in the fight against crime. “Leaving that broader fight in the hands of the police while the private industry works on its own for its clients is the least effective utilisation of crime fighting resources in the country.” Cronje says the murder rate has been halved since 1994, but for the first time saw an increase last year.
