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S. African security boss vows to stay on despite crime spikes |
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08:07, July 05, 2007 |
South African security boss Wednesday rejected calls for his resignation after statistics showed increases in crime in the country.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula told business people at a breakfast at the Johannesburg Country Club: "Well, I am not going to resign."
Crime is the biggest challenge for South Africa after the poverty issue.
On Tuesday, the lobby group Afriforum called for his resignation after a police crime-trends report showed an increase in crimes such as murder, car hijacking and aggravated robbery forthe financial year 2006/2007.
The annual police statistics report is expected in September. Murder increased by 3.5 percent to 19,202 in the last financial year.
"Those who say I must resign should look to what they themselves are contributing to the fight against crime," said the minister.
"I am going to continue ... to find answers to figures confirming violent crime is on the rise," he added.
He said: "The people who say I must resign -- they must check how they are accountable to the high levels of crime in this country and what they are going to do."
He said there were two types of crime: crimes of omission, and of commission.
The police understood their responsibility and were prepared to die for it, as shown at Jeppestown last year where four policemen were killed in a siege with a group of men believed to have robbed a supermarket.
Over the next three years the budget allocation for safety and security is 42 billion rand, up from the 21 billion rand the department was allocated when he took his post in 2002.
Police personnel is expected to increase to 190,000 from the current 160,000 with an additional target of recruiting 100,000 reservists by 2009.
Local authorities should enforce laws relating to the consumption of alcohol, which played a large role in crime, he said.
According to a national police report released on Tuesday, bankrobberies rose by 118 percent and aggravated robbery by 4.6 percent between April last year and March this year.
Robberies at business premises increased by 52.5 percent and robberies at residential premises increased by 25.4 percent.
Cash-in-transit heists increased by 21.9 percent and truck hijackings by 7.6 percent. Car hijackings increased by 6 percent and possession of illegal firearms increased by 5.6 percent.
Attempted murder decreased by 3 percent, indecent assault decreased by 5.5 percent while common robbery decreased by 5.8 percent.
Source: Xinhua
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