By Staff Reporter
The Portfolio Committee on Police has expressed concern about the low number of arrests of those involved in attacks and extortion on long-haul buses, despite clear evidence provided by bus companies.
It met Golden Arrow and Intercape officials following numerous reports of violence against them and various litigations against the SA Police Service.
“While we acknowledge the comprehensive work done by the police to implement mitigating initiatives to protect bus companies and their commuters, it remains concerning that of the 300 cases reported between Golden Arrow and Intercape, no arrest has been made by the police,” committee chairperson Ian Cameron said in a statement.
“What is even more worrying is that among the 300 cases, there is a murder case that has not been solved as yet. The arrest and prosecution of perpetrators is the only logical deterrence against such cowardly acts, and the lack of movement in this regard is worrying.”
In the case of Intercape, the committee said the taxi industry has been left to act with impunity and outside the confines of the law, This was unacceptable and set a bad precedent that would be difficult to overcome.
The committee resolved that SAPS must provide periodical updates on progress of the investigations.
It acknowledged interventions to provide escort and police visibility, but said these were unsustainable.
“It is on this basis that the committee has called on the police to institute intelligence-led policing to ensure that perpetrators are arrested. Furthermore, there should be a data-driven approach to policing that focuses on ensuring adequate resourcing of hotspot areas,” the statement read.
It said that in the case of long-haul busses, extortion had proved to be a major economic constraint to businesses that provided these services.
It was unacceptable that people were robbed of the opportunity to make a choice about the mode of transport they wanted to use to reach their destination, the committee said.
It welcomed the collaboration with communities that provided information that was critical to stopping acts of crime.
The committee also said that the experience with Golden Arrow has proven the importance of collaborations with local government to combat crime.
“The installation of security cameras and linkage to the city’s command centre can be a valuable force multiplier and an enabler for faster response times. The committee has encouraged closer collaboration with all spheres of government as crime requires a joint effort to overcome.”
Enhanced communication between the bus companies and SAPS police was necessary so that they could share information about interventions that the police were making in combating extortion against their businesses.
The meeting formed part of the committee’s oversight on extortion.
It said it has become clear that there remained a disconnect between plans and actual implementation of programmes.
“The low arrest and conviction rate of extortion-related crimes is an area of concern that must be urgently arrested.”
INSIDE POLITICS