Crime Focus : August 2008 - Issue # 19

AUGUST 2008 – ISSUE #19
In this issue:
INTRODUCTORY LETTER

THE DA ANTI-CRIME CAMPAIGN

HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE FUTURE OF THE SCORPIONS

DA HANDS IN NEARLY 8 000 WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS AND OVER 98 000
SIGNATURES OPPOSING SCORPIONS CLOSURE

DA ASKS SPEAKER TO INVESTIGATE MISHANDLING OF SCORPIONS SUBMISSIONS

DA RELEASES DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON METAL THEFT

DA REPEATS CALL FOR RURAL ANTI-CRIME UNIT

EYE ON CRIME HIGHLIGHTS

INTRODUCTORY LETTER

Last Monday, I, along with six DA staff members, carried 7 978
written submissions and 98 258 petition signatures in opposition to
the proposed closure of the Scorpions, to the Safety and Security
Committee secretary.

Two days later, the chairs of the Safety and Security and Justice
Portfolio Committees held their own press conference in retaliation -
so I took it upon myself to attend. In the self-same room where we had
deposited the thousands of submissions and signatures I witnessed the
chairs of both committees, Maggie Sotyu and Yunis Carim, saying that
those self-same expressions of public opinion were "irrelevant."

Their reason? The decision to close the Scorpions had already been
taken in Polokwane, and the petitions simply didn't state any
alternative to the Scorpions. They then claimed that they had only
received 114 submissions.

They also added that the DA submissions were not relevant as they did
not represent the ANC's constituency, while Maggie Sotyu, made her
much publicised statement that her constituents didn't know what the
Scorpions were - in fact they "thought they were a fruit", she had
said.

We are now sitting through the three days of public hearings in
Parliament before we move into the provinces. So far, the inputs on
the part of the SA Catholic Bishops Conference, representing 4.5
million people, the Helen Suzman Foundation and IDASA have been
particularly outstanding.

We have still yet to hear any cogent argument from any sphere
explaining the sudden rush to destroy the Scorpions, and we thus
maintain that this move is for selfish party-political motives.

A great deal more than the fate of our top crime fighting unit is at
stake here. What we here in Parliament are witnessing is a concerted
attack on the constitution and the rule of law; while, out there, ANC
youngsters such as Julius Malema are now calling daily for citizens
who believe in the rule of law to be killed, and members of the DA to
be eliminated.

The Chinese curse wishes one to live in interesting times - but
really, does it have to be as interesting as this?

Kind Regards,

Dianne Kohler Barnard MP

DA SPOKESPERSON ON SAFETY AND SECURITY

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THE DA ANTI-CRIME CAMPAIGN

In the last two weeks, the DA has taken up the fight against crime in
communities all over South Africa. We have staged marches, held public
meetings, delivered leaflets and talked to hundreds of victims of
crime.

Next week, the DA crime policy will also be unveiled, so keep an eye
out for that!

A DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST CRIME

In July, DA leader Helen Zille launched the DA's National Anti-Crime
Campaign: "Winning the War against crime".

Zille told supporters at an anti-crime protest in Heidedal, Free
State, that South Africans live in fear of being murdered, raped,
robbed or assaulted by a criminal army which grows larger and more
brazen with every passing day.

"This is not a perception, as our President claims; it is the
inescapable conclusion to be drawn from the statistics put out by the
police themselves," she said.

Zille said that citizens of the country get involved where they can in
the fight against crime.

"We join Neighbourhood Watch Programmes and Community Police Forums.
But we need to do more. We need to ask the hard questions. We need to
ask why we live in fear at a time in our country's history when we
should have such hope. We need to ask why the system fails us again
and again and again."

"But we must never give up. We have the right to life; we have the
right to live in peace; we have the right to demand protection from
our government. And so today we say: enough is enough. Today is the
day that we declare war on crime."

Zille said that the country was losing the war against crime because
the government is out of touch with reality.

"We are losing the war because, instead of targeting criminals, our
government targets those who voice their fears."

Zille also paid tribute to the unsung heroes of the war on crime – the
brave men and women of our police force who stand on the front line.

"These are the troops, who have been deserted by those in government
who should be leading the charge. They have been left ill-equipped and
under-resourced for the battle they must wage," she said.

"Every law-abiding South African wants the war to be won and the
criminals defeated. It is time to stand up and be counted. If we work
together, we will win. We have the will, the vision and the people."

To read the rest of the speech…please click here >>>

VICTIMS OF CRIME CHARTER NEEDS TO BE ESTABLISHED

A charter needs to be established to enforce the rights of victims of
crime, DA leader Helen Zille said at an imbizo in Durban in August.

"It is often said that, when a South African is a victim of crime,
they are a victim twice. They are victimised first by violent
criminals and then re-victimised by the criminal justice system. This
has to change."

According to the DA, victims of crime needed active assistance from
the state to recover from their ordeal and move on with their lives.

"Crime victims should be entitled to compensation for medical and
other costs they are forced to incur," said Zille.

"There needs to be a legally enforceable Victims of Crime Charter that
sets out exactly what the rights of victims are and how they will be
enforced."

Zille said such a charter would give citizens the right to be treated
with fairness, respect and dignity.

She said no amount of money could undo the damage wreaked by violent
crime, but no victim should have to suffer financial loss as a result
of it.

"All victims of violent crime should be entitled to compensation for
the emotional, psychological and medical trauma they are put through."

At the Imbizo, Zille heard the testimony from a number of crime
victims, including Denise Goldin and Sophie Kupane, both of whom have
tragically lost children to violent crime. A video message from
Desmond Dube, the organiser of the million man march against crime,
was also played at the event.

To read the rest of the speech…please click here >>>

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HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE FUTURE OF THE SCORPIONS

The DA calls upon the public to continue their opposition to the
closure of the Scorpions during the public hearings taking place in
the provinces from 11 to 15 August 2008.

DATEVENUE
Monday, 11 August 2008 09:30 Eastern Cape – Indoor Sport Centre – Mdantsane
Gauteng Province – City Hall - Legislature Building
Tuesday, 12 August 2008 09:30 Kwazulu-Natal – Indoor Sport Centre – Umlazi
Mpumalanga – Lynville Hall – Witbank
Wednesday, 13 August 2008 09:30 Northern Cape – Progress Hall – Upington
Limpopo – Morepa Casino – Pietersburg
Thursday, 14 August 2008 09:30 Free State – Mangaung Community Hall
North West – Mafikeng Civic Centre

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DA HANDS IN NEARLY 8 000 WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS AND OVER 98 000
SIGNATURES OPPOSING SCORPIONS CLOSURE

Last week, the Democratic Alliance presented parliamentary officials
with 7,978 written public submissions.

This is an unprecedented public response to calls for written
submissions, which are normally counted in the tens or, at most, in
the hundreds.

In addition to the written submissions, the DA also handed in the
names of more than 98 000 members of the public who have either signed
a written petition, an on-line petition started by Hugh Glenister or
the SMS campaign - Save the Scorpions.

"Today was the deadline for public submissions commenting on the South
African Police Service Amendment bill and the National Prosecuting
Authority Amendment bill – the two items of legislation that seek to
close the Scorpions and create a new unit under police control," said
DA spokesperson on safety and security Dianne Kohler Barnard.

"The degree to which the public responded to calls for submissions has
been overwhelming and is a clear indication of just how strongly the
public opposes the closing of the Scorpions," she said.

To see the video…please click here >>>

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DA ASKS SPEAKER TO INVESTIGATE MISHANDLING OF SCORPIONS SUBMISSIONS

A day after the DA handed in nearly 8 000 submissions and over 98 000
signatures to Parliament, the Chairpersons of the Portfolio Committee
on Justice and Constitutional Development and the Portfolio Committee
on Safety and Security cynically suggested that signing petitions -
either on paper or by e-mail and SMS - does not represent a legitimate
exercise in public submission, since it does not "suggest ways to
improve upon the draft legislation".

"Safety & Security Chair, Maggie Sotyu further claims that only about
114 of the written submissions she has received from the public are
'acceptable'," said DA safety and security spokesperson Dianne Kohler
Barnard.

On Tuesday, the DA wrote to the Speaker of Parliament asking her to
initiate a full investigation into the conduct of the Justice and
Safety & Security Portfolio Committee Chairpersons, in what appears to
be a deliberate attempt to downplay the number of public submissions
received.

"Without any explanation, the bulk of these submissions have been
disregarded, and the petition signatures rejected outright by the
Committee Chairpersons, who have referred to the petitions as
'irrelevant'," said Kohler Barnard.

Kohler Barnard said that their conduct is flagrantly unconstitutional
- Section 59 (1) of the Constitution clearly states that the National
Assembly must "facilitate public involvement" in the legislative
process - and is also a breach of the Rules of the National Assembly,
which clearly state in Section 138 (b) that a committee may "receive
petitions, representations or submissions from interested persons or
institutions."

"The Speaker must therefore investigate the Committees' refusal to
allow the public to participate fully in this parliamentary process as
a matter of urgency. This issue has now gone beyond the very urgent
fight to retain the Scorpions; it is now a fight to wrest the
principles of democratic governance and the right of the public to
participate in Parliament from the clutches of the ANC, which wants
only to extinguish them."

To read an extract on the DA's submission on the Scorpions
legislation…please click here >>>

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DA RELEASES DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON METAL THEFT

Last week, the Democratic Alliance released a discussion document
highlighting the damaging effects of metal theft on South African
society and the economy.

"Metal theft is a serious problem facing the country at the moment,
and the direct and indirect costs of metal theft are severe," said DA
spokesperson on minerals and energy Hendrick Schmidt.

"Already companies such as Telkom and Eskom have lost more than a
billion rand in total over the past few years," he said.

DA spokesperson on safety and security Dianne Kohler Barnard said
that, since 2004, a number of tragic and preventable deaths had
occurred as a result of incidents of metal theft. These included at
least six deaths of young children resulting from the theft of metal
covers from manholes.

"Unless decisive action is taken, it is likely that metal theft will
cause more needless pain and suffering and place even further strain
on the economy," Kohler-Barnard said.

The DA proposed, among other things, that the Non-Ferrous Theft
Combating Committee (NFTCC) be empowered through legislation and its
own dedicated budget.

"The SA Police Service should reinstate the SAPS code for copper theft
to aid crime information, create a specialised unit to deal with
Non-Ferrous Metal(NFM) theft, and provide specialised training for
SAPS members in this regard," said Kohler Barnard.

"There should also be a comprehensive training module on metal theft,
in particular copper theft, for judicial officers such as public
prosecutors and judges."

Kohler Barnard said that copper cables should be marked in some way,
such as micro-dotting and identifying groove markings, and a reward
hotline introduced for those providing information leading to arrests.

"Finally, the draft Second-hand Goods Bill's passage through
parliament should be expedited and the backlog of licence applications
by NFM dealers cleared," she added.

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DA REPEATS CALL FOR RURAL ANTI-CRIME UNIT

The Democratic Alliance has repeated its call for the establishment of
a specialised police unit to combat what it calls the "Wild West"
crime situation in many rural areas.

"There is growing evidence that inhabitants of rural areas are
increasingly becoming soft targets for violent criminals as a result
of the security vacuum... prevalent in many areas," said DA
spokeswoman on safety and security Dianne Kohler-Barnard.

"Such a unit would require specialised vehicles and equipment to deal
with the unique challenges of policing in rural areas."

Kohler-Barnard said it was clear the current system of policing in
rural areas was not working.

"The SAPS needs to face up to the fact that the police have not
properly filled the vacuum left by the closure of the Commandos."

"Unless they urgently create a specialised Rural Safety Division of
the kind advocated by the DA, the situation is only likely to
deteriorate further," she said.

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WARNING FROM EYE ON CRIME READER

ZILLE DENIED VISIT TO POLICE STATION

MINI-ME ZUMA: THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK

ATM BOMBINGS – WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

A RETURN TO A TERRIBLE ERA OF VIOLENCE?

RULING PARTY A BUNCHOF CRIMINAL THUGS

DID YOU KNOW?
Public support appears to be overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the
scorpions as South Africa's elite crime fighting force. A number of
recent polls suggest that support for the retention of the Scorpions
is high. These include:
• a Sowetan poll showing 79 percent support for its retention;
• an online poll by Carte Blanche indicating 97 percent support;
• an Ipsos-Markinor poll suggesting 67 percent trusted the Scorpions
versus 31 percent who said the same about the SAPS - only 24 percent
thought it was a good idea to disband the unit;
• and a TNS Research Survey which revealed that 59 percent of those
polled in urban areas believed the Scorpions, or an equivalent unit,
should remain separate from the SAPS.

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