CLIVE

Greetings once more

I still live and work on the Cape Flats and am reminded of the violence our people are exposed to on a daily basis. Not only are the incessant sounds of gunshots and police/ambulance sirens a constant notice of the painful times we live in but also the hurtful comments of people I encounter on a daily basis who place the blame for the status quo squarely on the shoulders of government. The battle against crime is not being won!

We cannot continue like this and I imagine that this is the feeling of yourselves and the rest of the cabinet as well. My time spent working for the Constitutional Committee of the ANC has broadened my perspective on life immensely. It was as a result of the skills gained then that I have started out my business and it is because of my vast exposure over the ensuing years that I have been able to build up the following proposal that I am presenting to you.

The concept is simple. Digitise, that’s right, Digitise. We have access to all the resources. We have begun collating all of the data. All we now need to do is harness all of the information into a digital format, make use of existing technology, and make the results available in an idiot-proof manner to the law enforcement agencies.

1. The needs are simple.

A modest (in government terms) capital injection

Extensive training of specialised squads (Rapid Reaction Units)

Untainted/honest civil servants to staff these units

Acquisition of readily available equipment

Widespread use of roadblocks for most crimes

Inclusion and support of big business and

The will to succeed

2. Successful implementation of the project will result in:

Improved apprehension and conviction rates

Enhanced intelligence capabilities

Drastic reductions in the crime rate

Fast-tracking the regulation of the minibus taxi industry

Increased respect for government by the population.

Reduced pressure on an already over-burdened criminal justice system

Greater investor confidence which has it's own positive spin-offs

Roadblocks are highly visible. Extensive use of it as a serious policing tool is in itself a deterrent to criminals. And from my experience road commuters would welcome the inconvenience if they knew that it is being used as a regular crime-fighting tool and not only one of those routine quarterly check-ups.

3. Failure to act can and will lead to:

Increased arrogance amongst the perpetrators

Ballooning crime figures

Decreased public morale

Rapidly reducing public confidence in government

Increasing negative effects on the economy and

Fading hopes of an African Renaissance

Crime-Prevention Project
4. The Tools:

Information means nothing if it is not readily available and in a format that is useful to the end-user.

Our most important tool in this regard is a digital camera. There are cameras currently available with flash memory cards that can hold upwards of 500 photographs that can be transferred to computer in an instant. These cards can then be re-used over and over gain. Over and above the fact that photographs are instantly available, they also have the facility to date and time stamp any pictures taken.

The next piece of equipment would be a high-powered laptop computer which will provide the link to a central computer or provide the necessary data from it's own hard drive.

The final part of the jigsaw is a Wireless Applications Protocol, WAP enabled mobile telephone. This would provide the user with access to information stored elsewhere with the least amount of fuss and bother.

All of the other bits of information we already have - finger print readers, a huge national database of fingerprints, ID numbers etc.

5. Corporate Partnerships

The members of the Information Technology Industry are the recognised market leaders on most international bourses. We have a fine array of companies here who should be encouraged to become active participants in the project.

Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Panasonic or any of the other producers of digital cameras could be asked to donate/subsidise that equipment

MECER or AUWA have made enough profit in this country and the fact that their home country is the Republic of China on Taiwan should make it easy enough to get them on board for all the computer needs.

Siemens, Nokia or Motorola could be approached to donate the mobile handsets required for the project.

We currently have two cellular phone service providers in the country. It would not harm their profits in any way to provide free air time for all the mobile units being used.

6. The Róle-players

The specialised squads (let's call them Rapid Reaction Units or RRU's) will need to be deployed at strategic police stations or at army bases.

The RRU's will be specially chosen from amongst those willing to embrace technology as a vital tool in their armoury.

These RRU's could even be a part of the South African National Defence Force or the Municipal Traffic Police and as such ease the burden of the SAPS.

A concerted effort must be made to capture all data on past offenders, (photo, fingerprints, address, known associates, gang linkages, etc.) in a central database.

Linked to this, (in a secondary national database) we must have vehicle registration information.

Also linked to this we should have a Firearm Registration Database.

Finally, if possible, all of this should be linked into the national population register.

7. Special Actions

7.1 Strategic Locations

I might be at risk of reinventing the wheel here, but we need to look at each major city, town, district and township and identify the most effective locations for setting up roadblocks (dependent upon where the crime was committed). The former regime has made that painfully easy when it comes to the townships with their "town planning" focusing more on control than on functionality. In the "bad old days" cities each had a civil defense strategy which pre-empted any serious disaster befalling a city. In much the same way the most effective locations should be identified before the crime is committed. In this way we have a national blue print known only to a handful of trusted senior people. The locations of these control points will vary from crime to crime and therefore it would be impossible for anyone to tip-off the criminals beforehand. Major access roads should be identified as should important arterial and other roads. The roadblock strategy should then operate in 4 phases.

The first roadblocks will identify the "Outer Limit" or furthest point that the perpetrator(s) can reach from the moment of the incident. (SANDF)

The second roadblocks closes the net nearer the scene of the event (SAPS) and

The third, is in the form of "sweeping patrols" of the immediate vicinity (Traffic Police).

The fourth would be aerial reconnaissance with helicopters and spotter planes.

It is imperative that eye-witness accounts are gathered immediately in order to pass significant information on to the people staffing the roadblocks or scanning the area. With the above system "containment" becomes critical to success; unlike the current scenario where police end up chasing the perpetrators and the search becomes open-ended.

7.2 Firearm Registration

Much fuss and bother has been made about the Firearms Control Act, to the point of Constand Viljoen even threatening to emigrate if forced to part with his dearly beloved weapons. As in all things that affect us as South Africans, the solutions lie in the simplest of applications.

Allow people to own as many guns as they want to.

Pass legislation that requires each gun owner to bring in each of her/his weapons for a compulsory ballistics test.

Have them pay for the testing of each weapon.

Have them pay annual "ownership" fees for each weapon.

Apply similar rules to weapons in the possession of gun shop owners.

Record the ballistics results along with fingerprint, owner's photograph and other data of the owners in a Central Firearm Registry (CFR).

Make it illegal for any person to own a weapon that has not been recorded in the CFR.

Make the penalty for non-compliance prohibitively high (R250,000 per weapon - non negotiable)

Make it illegal to lend someone a firearm (treat such cases like the point above).

Any private sales of weapons need to be reported to the police station (buyer and seller present)

Any crime committed with a firearm can have ballistics tested against the CFR.

In this way,

The gun-owners lobby who believe it is every South African's God-given right to be armed to the teeth can have less to complain about.

There are no loopholes for people found in possession of weapons (legal or not)

Police have a point to work from in terms of crimes committed and the weapon has not yet been found.

8. Implementation:

Assuming that all of the above róle-players come to the party and all of the data can be made available, we would have completed step one in our move towards reducing the crime rate.

The rest of the plan is easy. Roadblocks must become the order of the day in combating most forms of crime from kidnapping through bank robberies to bombings.

Once a crime is committed or is in progress, the RRU's are notified.

Roadblocks are set up immediately.

The RRU's will each be in possession of laptop computers with WAP technology and a digital camera.

Each laptop can be hooked up to the databases mentioned in 6. Róle Players above.

Every vehicle passing through a roadblock is routinely photographed.

Each single photograph captures car make, colour, registration and occupants.

It also automatically records date and time on the photograph.

This information is downloaded to the computer (one cable and press a button)

Should the driver's licence not match the ownership details of a car, that vehicle is pulled aside for further investigation.

Should eye-witness statements place a particular make or colour of vehicle at the scene of a crime, every vehicle which has passed through a roadblock becomes a resource directory for further investigation.

Should a vehicle contain an unregistered firearm in terms of the CFR, the occupants are detained immediately

This then is the plan that I believe will work. As an aside, in terms of the recent blockade of Khyalitsha. Time will tell if the strategy worked. I personally would have implemented the blockade without closing the ranks. The only difference would be that taxis would not be let out beyond the blockade and buses would not be let in. I would let the blockade run for at least a week. The taxis would make a limited income ferrying passengers to the outskirts of Khyalitsha where the buses would take over. The benefits from this are multiple.

Commuters would not be stranded.

The taxis would earn a limited income.

Snipers hiding between the houses will have no opportunity to reach the buses.

The benefits of co-operation between the taxis and buses becomes obvious to the two sides.

The financial implications to the taxis will force them to re-enter negotiations in good faith.

I would also have extended the blockade to the other areas affected by the violence. The whole exercise could have been used to force all taxis to re-register themselves in a way acceptable to the authorities. This would facilitate the regulation of the industry in the province.

9. Conclusion

The above plan is implementable. I am certain that there are many logistical and other constraints that I have either overlooked or am unaware of, but for me the overiding factor is the fact that police will be visible in their actions. This will not go unnoticed by the general public and the chances of success are far greater than has been achieved thus far.

It is commendable that progress has been made with regard to the taxi violence here in the Western Cape. What bothers me is that the breakthrough coincided with the installation of Hennie Bester as the MEC for Safety and Security in the province.

Enough said.

I trust that this proposal is received in a positive light. We need to address the problem not only here in the Western Cape but on a national level. Also importantly we cannot afford to be upstaged subversively by others who will claim all the credit for solving the crime problem.

If I might suggest a workshop to discuss this strategy and others which are currently in place, I would be only too willing to co-ordinate such an event. This will include inviting the relevant róle players and potential corporate partners, assisting with drawing up the agenda and all other related logistical functions.

I look forward to your input.

Best regards

Clive Newman