30 Apr 2008: ISS Today: Six Things to Help you Stay Informed About Crime ...

30 Apr 2008: Six things to help you stay informed about crime...

 

It is increasingly becoming evident, particularly within corporate, academic and media circles that the South African Police Service (SAPS) needs to overhaul its entire approach to informing the public about crime and its prevention.

 

 

Many reporters, researchers and even the public at large get frustrated with the often-outdated SAPS-information that doesn’t relate to what they are experiencing on the ground. They tend to turn to the ISS for insights on the crime situation, particularly at the level of the local community.

 

There are meanwhile some practical things members of the public can do in order to empower themselves with the necessary information about crime, security and related safety measures.

 

The following list of things to do to be informed about your local crime situation is not exhaustive and it is the first in a series of up-coming ISS-articles that are related to this topic.

 

  1. Firstly, based on media reports and the experiences of people involved in community policing and/or private security, it can be suggested that people who know and spend time in their neighborhoods often have a better sense of what to do in case of an emergency irrespective of whether it is crime-related or not. The key issue is to know your neighborhood.

  2. In relation to the above, there is a tendency for people who live in affluent, better resourced and low crime areas to be detached from next-door neighborhoods that are known for high crime levels. Not only does this create a lack of understanding about what crimes are being committed, why they are committed and how and when they could spread from one area to another, but more pertinently it also deters the build-up of coalitions between activists, private security firms and mothers that are trying to drive out criminals.

  3. Existing research and surveys suggest that many South Africans often make an effort to know where their local police station is located. However, as many journalists will tell you, it is also important to know who are your local police officers. Get to know them. The police tend to respond better to people that they know and those who show them respect and courtesy. If you can’t get through to the police officers than at least try to befriend and/or get to know the clerks and the front-desk personnel. Treat them the way you would a police officer or detective, since they also tend to know what the hot crime issues are in the neighborhood.

  4. Due to the high crime levels and the involvement of police officials in criminal activities SAPS in general seems to have a negative public image. As a result there is a tendency for people to forget that police officers are also human. When police officers do something good, there is a lot that can be done by communities to show that they appreciate their services. Police officers feel like they are subject to a lot of criticism, but rarely receive praise. They are right. Therefore when the police make a key arrest or become more visible on patrol, don’t ignore it. For instance, you could get your friends and neighbors to write a letter of appreciation in the local media.

  5. Get the police and/or even people at private security firms to help you keep track of the crime patterns in your neighborhood. If not, then do it yourself. Keep a daily to weekly log of the crimes that are being reported in your area including those that you simply get to hear about through your neighbors. Find out who the victims and witnesses are, where they live and if the crimes have anything in common. For instance, if there’s been an unusually high increase in the incidents concerning, say, house robberies in your usually quiet community then you and your neighbors should be able to make note of this and see how to respond. Don’t wait for the police to make these connections do it yourself. Be your own police officer or detective.

  6. Think local, but also link this to the national crime situation. Keep track of the police and crime related news in your local community without losing sight of the wider national crime trends. Often, crimes move in trends. If you live in Pretoria and you hear that cocaine is making a comeback in Cape Town, ask the police if they are seeing more cocaine on the streets of Pretoria. Crime-fighting strategies also move in waves. If you read that the police in Port Elizabeth have started to work more closely with the local community policing forums, make a note of it. Chances are some of the other cities have either started to do the same or are considering taking that route.

 

The above list simply serves as a quick guide that can be expanded depending on the context. It is geared towards getting us to think about those practical things that we can all do to stay informed about crime and how to respond to it.

 

Andrew Kanyegirire, Researcher, Crime and Justice Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)