Saul says the young generation is trapped in the pandemic of drugs, alcohol abuse, and violence. On Thursday the acting provincial police commissioner, Henriette de Waal, announced that despite the drop in the number of reported crimes during the fourth quarter stats of 2020/21, seven police stations saw a rise in the number of reported crimes owing to varying factors. 

Saul says in most cases of violent crimes - be it murder, assault, rape, or domestic violence - drugs or alcohol are listed as being the greatest factor contributing or aggravating these crimes.

“If you are to eradicate criminal activities, it is with our communities and the starting point is the activation of communities to ensure that they are involved and become part and parcel of programmes, should they stumble across information they should make that information available to the law enforcement agencies. As the provincial government we support South African Police Services (SAPS) on gender-based violence (GBV) to various collaborative and individual advocacy programmes,” he adds.

“We acknowledge that fighting crime requires a collective effort from both government, civil society, business, and communities.

"The impact of these have far-reaching consequences on the resources of government and business but similarly, the psychological and emotional trauma can be just as taxing on the victims and society in general,” he adds.

Saul has also sympathised with the police saying they “understand that the police cannot be everywhere to prevent these crimes but we have experienced that there needs to be greater vigilance and precision with the investigation of these crimes”.

Saul further adds that too many cases either do not make it to prosecution or lacks decent investigation to ensure a successful conviction and justice for victims. “It is encouraging to note that there seems to be a general reduction in crime, and especially serious and violent crimes," Saul alludes.

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