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Parliament to Scrutinise Provincial Crime Intelligence Resourcing

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Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the decision by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police to scrutinise crime intelligence resources for the Eastern Cape, following my request to DA MP Ian Cameron, Chair of the National Police Portfolio Committee, to add the matter to his committee’s agenda on an urgent basis.

I wrote to MP Cameron following the continued spate of kidnappings in our province and the impact crime syndicates continue to make in driving away investment and terrorising our communities.

This is a major step forward in exposing the systemic failures that have left crime intelligence dangerously under-resourced in our province.

The Eastern Cape is under siege, with the latest crime statistics confirming that violent crime is out of control:

  • One thousand three hundred murders and 2,341 sexual offences were recorded in just three months.
  • Six Eastern Cape police stations are now among the top 30 for murder nationwide.
  • Hijackings, kidnappings, and organised crime syndicates operate without fear of consequence.
  • SAPS officers are left reacting to crime instead of preventing it due to a lack of intelligence resources.

These figures prove what communities already know: our crime intelligence is failing, and criminals are taking full advantage. Yet, unlike the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape does not spend a cent on crime-fighting technology.

This is why the DA has taken tangible action at both the provincial and national level.

  • We secured a commitment from Parliament. The Portfolio Committee on Police will interrogate the Eastern Cape’s crime intelligence capacity and resources.
  • We have tabled a motion in the Eastern Cape Legislature demanding ringfenced funding for intelligence-gathering tools such as grabbers, ShotSpotter, drones, dashcams, bodycams, and license-plate recognition systems.
  • We are calling for the Community Safety budget to be reprioritised. The budget should be spent on tangible crime fighting initiatives that deliver real results instead of public relations and developing reports that do not get implemented.
  • We are pushing for collaboration with the City of Cape Town to deploy proven surveillance and reconnaissance technology that has been instrumental in crime prevention in the Western Cape.
  • We have demanded a full briefing from the MEC for Community Safety, outlining what efforts are being made to secure increased crime intelligence resources.

With both Parliament and the Provincial Legislature now forced to engage on this issue, the ANC government can no longer ignore its failure to act.

Crime is killing people, businesses, and jobs in the Eastern Cape. The lack of crime intelligence has turned this province into a playground for organised crime, while SAPS officers, who risk their lives every day, are left to fight back without the tools they need to succeed.

The DA will not back down. We will continue to fight for real crime-fighting solutions because the people of the Eastern Cape deserve more than fear. They deserve dignity, security, and the right to live without being hunted by criminals.

Regards

Yusuf Cassim MPL
Shadow MEC for Community Safety

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.