Safety and security from the ravages of crime.

Ever South African has a Constitutional right to expect to live in a safe and secure environment. It is the responsibility of government to ensure that this is indeed possible. Protecting the right to life, liberty and property of its citizens.

SOCIAL philosophers and statesmen over the centuries have agreed that the first duty of government is to protect its citizens. Unless this is done, all else is futile. If the state does not guarantee the safety of its citizens, anarchy ensues.-- Stephen Mulholland – Another Voice Sunday Times Aug 6 2000 .

Abuse of powers by the state and police.

The purpose of the Constitution is to limit the powers of government not to be able to commit tyranny on the people. The department Safety and Securities report on police abuse of powers is frightening to read. This report has been quietly shelved and ignored. Daily there are hundreds of infringements by warrant-less searches. Whilst the Firearms Control Bill gives even greater powers to the police with no oversight or concern for abuse and government proposes even more powers open to abuse in the Anti-Terrorism Bill.

The Independent (17.10.99) reported that one target of the Scorpions turned out to be 77-year old grandmother with a heart pace-maker, Baba Mcatshulwa. The article says: “Bent over her walking stick near her pots and pans, the matriarch of the Quenene family has eyes that gleam with anger as she tells how her door was kicked open by a policeman’s boot. “Still recovering from an operation on both her knees, she had been shuffling with difficulty towards the door when it was unceremoniously flung wide. Her two great-grandchildren — Zukelwa, 18, and Sibongiseli, 13 — had been hiding in the background, wondering who was making all the noise. “’I’m walking slowly because I’m old; they didn’t even open the door, they kick it,’ she says, recounting how she suddenly found herself confronted by torchlight and automatic weapons. ‘I say: ‘Who you people?’, but they didn’t answer me.’" -- With Criminal Intent: Big Brother in South Africa, Jim Peron

Waste of TAX money for no public benefit.

Government has a duty to the people of South Africa and in particular to the TAX payers not to waste TAX money on frivolous projects and ideological excursions into dreamland. Currently the admitted cost of the Firearms Control Bill is more than R1.2 Billion. While the police are under-funded, understaffed and under-resouced. People are staving and living under the poverty line while government wastes money on an ideological excursion into the dream of gun control that will not put one criminal behind bars. A flagrant waste of TAX for absolutely no public benefit.

The right to self-defense

The police have no duty to protect citizens. This has once again been upheld by our courts in a recent trial. Self-protection and self-defense is everybody's own responsibility unless proof of real danger can be given to the police. The police investigate crime, they can no more prevent crime that the fire department can prevent fires. Government should not interfere with people rights and ability to protect themselves and their property.

The right to expect a police service that works to capture criminals.

Every South African has the right to expect that government maintains an efficient police force that serves to capture and process criminals. By investigating crime and bringing to trail those criminals so they may face justice and punishment. Currently there are about 120 000 police officers, less than 66 000 serve any active role. There are many positions within the police that could easily be handled by other staff freeing trained police officers so they can do their duty to the public.

Sir Robert Peel the founder of the British "bobby" defined nine principles for the creation and maintenance of a good police service to the public. Recognising the importance of fair and reasonable treatment of the public as absolutely vital to police work and continued success. Peel warned, "the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes, proportionately, the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives." The increasing use of physical force by the police to impose unpopular laws will divide the police from the policed even further. Peels nine principles are far removed from the South African Police Service and ANC government.

The right to a safe and secure South Africa.

The Constitution of South Africa must be upheld by government. A failure to do so is a crime. It is also sign of the contempt government has for the people of South Africa when it evades its responsibility. A constitution is only as good as the people willing to protect it from governments invasions and willingness to remove those rights.

Governments record of police mismanagement

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