An announcement by the SA Police Service (SAPS) that it is to launch a revamped police file programme on one of the SABC channels is welcome news indeed. The announcement comes only weeks after the new national police Commissioner, Bheki Cele took up office. The purpose of the show is clearly to name- and- shame suspected and known criminals with the hope that the public will tip-off the police regarding the location of individuals featured on the show. The TV show in itself however will not curb crime, the SAPS needs to ensure that it creates structures aimed at dealing with the expected public participation. These structures may include a call centre to accept tip-offs and redirect such tip-offs to the relevant SAPS departments. In my view SA’s crime problem needs to be dealt with using a much heavier hand than even the “shoot-to-kill” approach which is being touted by Commissioner Cele. Perhaps a specialist police force trained in the skill of sharp-shooting and the use of intelligent brute force is necessary at this point in our history. This armed specialist force could be something similar in nature to the famous special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team in the USA which would work side-by-side with the normal police. The role of the normal police, in my view, should be to deal with petty criminals and to maintain high visibility in the community. To further ensure success, the SAPS must combine brute force with swift investigation and prosecutorial efforts, meaning that the entire criminal justice system would have to collaborate like never before to pursue and achieve the same ends. What Commissioner Cele needs to put in place is a game-changing strategy to fight the high levels of violent crime because maintaining the status-quo just won’t cut it.
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