Crime Intel

‘Dysfunctional’ criminal justice system under fire

With only a three percent conviction rate for gang activity in the Western Cape, Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith has heavily questioned South Africa’s criminal justice system.

With only a three percent conviction rate for gang activity in the Western Cape, Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith has heavily questioned South Africa’s criminal justice system.

July 2006 to July 2017 saw last year saw Cape Town’s Gang and Drug Task Team, alongside the city’s law enforcement agencies and occasionally with the SAPS, confiscated 36 firearms and 797 rounds of ammunitions – and arrested 90 suspects for the possession of illegal firearms and ammunition and made 546 drug-related arrests.

“We will never turn things around while the criminal justice system is this dysfunctional. The police need specialised units. SAPS OPS combat is a good start, but it needs prosecutors and investigators assigned to it, to drive the convictions,” said Smith.

“Other arrests include outstanding warrants for suspects wanted for murder, theft and general crimes committed. These arrests also include the confiscation of large amounts of illegal drugs.

“The city’s law enforcement agencies have been a major contributor to the fact that gang murder and gang violence have been reduced through the Gang and Drug Task Team in Metro Police.

“It is unfair that the city should be placed in a position where it must fight gangs and drugs, something which the SAPS and national government should be doing according to the constitution, but the City has not hesitated to step into this gap and to protect the residents of our suburbs.”

President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce Janine Myburgh added: “One can live in a relatively safe area and still be a victim of crime. The second problem is the effect on morale. This can affect the quality of work and productivity and, in the long term, the additional stress can take its toll on employee well-being. The costs can be enormous.

“The example we like to quote is copper theft. Thieves can do many thousands of rands worth of damage by stealing copper wire that they will sell for just a few hundred rands. The cost comes in the replacement which requires new materials and expensive skills.

“There is also the cost of disruption. This can be clearly seen when copper is stolen from Metrorail and trains are delayed for an hour or so. When 100,000 people are an hour late for work the lost man-hours can run to many millions of rands for just one day.”