Crime experts commend SAPS' effort to deal with crime

CAPE TOWN - Crime experts have commended the country's police service on recent successes in the fight against organised crime.

This follows several arrests made across the country for serious crimes.

Several suspects have been arrested in numerous multi-million-rand drug busts.

In some cases, police have arrested their own for extortion-related incidents, in the Western Cape, the Free State, and Limpopo.

READ: Police Commissioner says communities not reporting extortion cases

Police have also been involved in deadly shootouts with suspected criminals in the abovementioned provinces.

Crime expert Johan Burger said the new crime-fighting strategy adopted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) appears to bear fruit.

READ: EFF calls for decisive interventions to fight crime in EC

"What impressed me the most about the new minister it's his obvious openness towards allowing all law enforcement agencies, as well as the private security industry. He's bringing everybody on board in the fight against crime.," said Burger.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime's senior analyst - Jenni Irish-Qobosheane - said police have made significant strides in their crime-fighting efforts.

"I do think that there are some areas where there's been some really positive moves. We've seen the arrest of not only police officers but some quite significant people involved in organised crime. We've seen some significant drug busts as well," said Irish-Qobosheane.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's inclusive leadership style has been hailed by some crime experts as a game changer in the fight against crime in the country recently.
 
Mchunu took over the reins as Police Minister from Bheki Cele in June this year.
 
In August, a historic working agreement was signed between the South African Police Service, the Western Cape Government, and the City of Cape Town, to combat crime.
 
A similar agreement was also signed in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro municipality recently, to pave the way for collaborative efforts between all law enforcement agencies to tackle crime effectively.

Burger said Mchunu's leadership seemed to have injected new energy into the police service.
 
"Also what has become obvious is the fact that the national police commissioner, Fannie Masemola, has come more into his own in the sense that he appears to be more self-confident. There are two reasons for that, the one is that it appears as if he felt a little intimidated by the presence of Bheki Cele who was also a former commissioner of police."
 
Burger also praised the police commissioner's leadership.

"Fannie Masemola is a highly experienced operational police officer. So, with the freedom that he now has under the new political leadership, he's able to exercise his leadership role as national commissioner of police."