Durban — An independent crime expert, Mary de Haas, is adamant that police’s crime-fighting measures would not yield any results unless the unit is rid of the alleged corrupt people.
“The only way we will fight corruption is by having cops that are not corrupt,” said De Haas.
She added: “If the police work together with the crime-fighting agencies, they will be able to fight crime and rid our province of criminal elements.”
She was responding to the presentation made by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, on Tuesday about the surging crime rate in the province for the period July to September 2024 compared to July to September 2023.
Durban Central, Phoenix, Verulam and Chatsworth were among the areas with the highest number of serious cases in KZN, with 17 communities being in the national top 30 stations for the highest crime rates.
Among those were contact crimes, which totalled 416 cases in the second quarter of the year.
- Attempted murder increased by 66 cases (3.9%)
- Assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm rose by 534 cases (7.5%).
- Common Assaults went up by 470 cases (7.1%).
- Murder decreased by 175 cases (-10.9%)
- Total sexual offences dropped by 52 cases (-2.0%).
- Robbery aggravating, fell by 314 cases (-4.9%).
- A total of 13173 arrests were executed for Contact Crimes during the mentioned period.
- A total of 1428 cases of murder incidents were registered in the second quarter, with 558 arrests.
“Cash-in-transit robberies remain a concern in the province,” said Ntuli.
“There were eight incidents of cash-in-transit in a similar period in 2023/2024, whereas a total of 11 incidents were reported during the 2nd quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year.”
“Analysis continues to indicate that most of the identified individuals operate provincially. They operate in groups of between five to 18 members, depending on the target and the projected returns. Covert projects are registered by crime intelligence to address the groups/syndicates and are yielding positive results.”
Ntuli said the province’s outlook was bright despite the surging crime rate.
He said that challenges related to service delivery continue; predominantly non-access to water, housing, poor road infrastructure and electricity.
“Noted community frustration leading to acts of violence and targeting of strategic routes. Beyond policing, the statistics point to underlying societal issues that need addressing. The high rates of crimes against women and children suggest a need for broader societal change, including shifts in cultural and behavioural patterns among men,” said Ntuli.
Ntuli said community engagement and education foster environments where violence should not be tolerated.
“We always emphasise that curbing and conquering crime is not the sole preserve of the police. To fight it successfully, community involvement is crucial because criminals do not descend from heaven like the manna of Biblical times.”
“Instead, they are known by community members, among whom they stay. Community members who harbour and protect criminals do so at their peril. One day, the criminals will eventually turn against those who harbour and protect them.”
As the festive season is on full track, Ntuli said, “To ensure that maximum safety measures are put in place during the festive season and beyond, law enforcement has augmented deployment of police officers and resources at identified crime hot spot areas throughout the province.”
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