Crime statistics paints a grim picture, cooperation with civil society now essential

The crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year paint an ominous picture of what the future of South Africa will look like if the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, is not committed to nip violent crimes in the bud. The fact that contact crimes increased by 3 831 cases from 149 806 at the same time last year, highlight the importance of the South African Police Service (SAPS) joining forces with civil safety structures, such as AfriForum’s 177 neighbourhood watches.

These community-driven safety structures have repeatedly proven their value in combating crime at grassroots level. In one of these instances the AfriForum neighbourhood watch in Brits secured the scene of a farm attack in North-West, called the police for help and called the local AfriForum trauma counselling volunteers to assist the victims. With the help of SAPS’ checkpoints, AfriForum’s safety structures assisted with the arrest of four suspected farm attackers and recovered the stolen goods.

“This incident is one of many examples of the impact that cooperation between civil safety structures and SAPS can have. This cooperation can be of particular value in farm murders and incidents of livestock theft. It’s encouraging that the minister wants to work with the farming community to stop these kinds of attacks,” says Jacques Broodryk, Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety at AfriForum.

In addition to the assistance that AfriForum offers in rural areas, its neighbourhood watch in Roodepoort also lent a helping hand to the police last month when it responded to a murder in the area. The neighbourhood watch quickly coordinated its members to secure the crime scene until SAPS arrived. This speedy response prevented any contamination or loss of evidence. The police even admitted how important AfriForum’s help was for the success of the investigation.

“It’s clear that the current crime crisis necessitates a more formal and structured partnership between SAPS and civil safety structures. The success of AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches clearly show that this kind of cooperation can be a powerful force multiplier. However, for this to be fully realised, there must be an official formalisation of these partnerships,” says Broodryk.

AfriForum calls on the Minister of Police to work constructively with all stakeholders, including AfriForum, to tackle the crime that has plagued South Africa for decades. The safety of our communities should be given the highest priority and only through unity and cooperation can we hope to turn the tide against crime.