President Cyril Ramaphosa said the South African Police Service will intensify its operation Shanela programme.
“We are intensifying Operation Shanela, which has been successful in arresting suspects, recovering firearms and seizing stolen vehicles.
“And we must tackle the scourge of gun violence that has plagued our society for decades.
Ramaphosa said the government aimed to see every citizen safe.
“We want a nation in which everyone is safe. The police continue to work with other law enforcement agencies to dismantle organised crime syndicates and combat financial and violent crime,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the police have partnered with the metropolitan municipalities and are working with communities to fight crime in the priority provinces where crime is particularly high.
He said he was in talks with the minister and the national police commissioner to prioritise reducing gun-related crime and violence.
“This includes preventing the diversion of firearms into the illicit market and recovering illegal firearms in circulation.
“We know from international evidence and our own experience that this is the most effective way to reduce overall violent crime.”
The nation heard that the police detective service — which Ramaphosa said was crucial to solving cases — will be expanded by 4,000 personnel through internal recruitment processes.
“We are working on adopting surveillance, analytics and smart policing solutions for modern law enforcement. And we have seen the value of technology in fighting crime.”
He applauded the South African Revenue Services (SARS) for using artificial intelligence in its fraud risk detection and verification work.
“SARS has prevented the leakage of over R95-billion in impermissible refunds. It recovered R20-billion in revenue and dismantled an illicit tobacco and gold scheme,” Ramaphosa said.
He addressed violence against women, saying the government has promulgated the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act, establishing a national structure to oversee a coordinated response to the crisis.
“We will ensure that the council is fully functional and properly resourced. And we continue to strengthen support to victims of gender-based violence.”
He said there were 65 Thuthuzela Care Centres across the country. Out of 52 districts in the country, 44 have GBV shelters.
“All police stations in the country have victim-friendly services. And another 16 sexual offences courts will be established in the next financial year,” said Ramaphosa.
