SPEECH BY SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT S.

SINGH, SAPS,
AT HATFIELD CHRISTIAN CHURCH ON 10 JUNE 2007

The honourable Pastor Francois, members of the congregation, Divisional Commissioner

Lamoer in his absence, Senior Officers of the South African Police Service, Ladies and
Gentlemen, good day. I am delighted to share this afternoon with you.

The President of the Republic of South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki, in his State of Nation
address emphasized the important role of the community in the fight against crime. The
President further accentuated that the community must get actively involved in reducing
crime levels in our country and work in partnership with law enforcement agencies.

To be effective, crime prevention requires co-operation by all elements of the community.

When faith-based organizations, such as the churches, and neighbors work together, crime
prevention can improve the quality of life for every community and its residents. Communities
of faith have a common interest with the Police: to keep neighbourhoods safe and free from
violence and crime. Partnerships require understanding, and sometimes they require learning
about a different phenomenon; they require sensitivity to the concerns of other partners; and
most of all they require patience and hard work. And when they are successful, when real
partnerships are formed between the Police and faith-based communities, people work
together to create safer and more caring communities.

As we know through the Church, one of the most effective ways to prevent crime is to change
the moral fabric of societies by fostering caring societies that emphasize individual moral
responsibility, respect for life and the universal dignity of all human beings. As a moral
institution the Church can play an important role in changing the moral habits of societies by
attaching itself to the various initiatives of the Police. We are after all one community.

To this end, the Divisional Commissioner of Visible Policing, Commissioner Lamoer, has
embarked on developing a packet of initiatives for involving the community, faith-based
organizations and other strategic partners in our ambition to protect and serve our
communities. Some of these initiatives also include protecting one of our most precious
liberties -- freedom of religion -- by assisting our clergy and their congregations in maintaining
safe and crime-free places of worship. However, in all of our initiatives we require your
assistance.

No community is immune to crime. Crime happens to all of us. Once upon a time, we would
never have thought of churches as the victims of crime. It was not at all uncommon to leave
the doors and windows of our churches open so that anyone in need of a safe haven could
enter for prayer or worship. But, as with so many things, crime no longer allows the Church to
perform many of its historical and spiritual functions.

A church, like a home, is never the same after being victimized by crime. There is emotional
and physical hurt - a sense of violation, deflating the morale of the church and its sense of
safety in the community. Communities of faith, just as with residential communities, must
draw a line in the ground and say 'enough is enough.'

Hence, today my speech to you is based on the very same premise of building partnerships
with the South African Police Service through participation in community policing forums and
through the active involvement in the various reservist programmes run by the SAPS.

Firstly, I would like to tell you a little about community policing forums. Community policing
forums were first established in 1994 with the main aim of encouraging the community and
the Police to work in collaboration and harmony with each other and to ensure that we
understand your needs while delivering a service of excellence to you.

Secondly, the SAPS has embarked on a process of boosting our capacity within the
organization by recruiting reservists from the community to assist the Police in crime
prevention and to maintain visibility and an enhanced Police presence. Youngsters becoming
involved as reservists could take them away from the streets and get them occupied in
activities of more substance. The Police offer technical assistance and training to any
congregation who wishes to involve itself in the community policing forums and the Police's
reservist programme We will guide the Church, our church leaders and members of their
congregations: on how to employ the principles of safety awareness and other simple crime
prevention techniques,

At this juncture I would like to propose some ways in which your church can join us in our
crime prevention endeavours:

Encourage the youth to involve themselves in community policing forums,

neighbourhood watch forums and the reservist programme.
The church can mobilise the community on various campaigns such as a campaign to
clean up the town and to improve relations between the Police, Church, schools, and
the community. The Church can also intervene in social problems such as gang
conflict with the help of the Police. This project is at present being implemented at the
Manenberg Area by various churches.
The church can arrange forums for the Police to address the community on drug
problems such as Tik. The Church together with the community can raise awareness
and assist families whose children are already addicted.
The church, through its community involvement can advise, the Police about illegal
shebeens / taverns and can request extra patrols at hot spot areas.
The Church can host recruitment programmes for reservists and through your expertise
can assist with the recruiting and recommendation of suitable reservists.
The Church can also get involved in campaigns highlighting the killing of Police persons
and the high incidence of women and child abuse.
The Church can appoint crime-prevention co-ordinators within the congregation to liaise
on a continuous basis with the Police and the community policing forums and thereby
engage with us in our various programmes.

In closing, the role of the Church in assisting the Police in reducing crime is invaluable. The
Church and all of its denominations must be seen as a catalyst to bring other Non-
Governmental Organizations and bodies on board, and to broaden our base and area of
influence. The Church has always been a good facilitator with the rapport to bring various
parties together – this is what we need at our local community level. While we have national
summits and regional conferences, it is at the grassroots level that we need to focus our
efforts.

I thank you for this opportunity in allowing me to enlighten you on our initiatives in visible
policing and I want to encourage you as instruments of God to join us in eradicating the
ugliness of crime. Together, we must display a keen interest in 'uniting in the fight against
crime'. Thank you.