MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday 11 September 2018
RESPONSE TO CRIME STATISTICS
ANTI-CRIME ACTIVIST SAYS SOUTH AFRICA HAS A “NATIONAL CRIME EMERGENCY” AND CALLS FOR PARTNERSHIPS
Head of #MakeSASafe and anti-crime activist, Yusuf Abramjee, says the latest crime statistics “are scary and cause for serious concern.”
He says: “Blood, bullets and bodies have become a way of life for many and we have a national crime emergency.”
Abramjee says the average murder rate of 57 per day shows “we have no respect for life and life has become cheap for many.”
Abramjee said a closer look at all crime categories “shows that we are living in dangerous times. Many parts of our country are under siege and criminals are running amok.”
He said police resources had to be beefed-up and “we need to support our men and women in blue at every turn.”
“Yes, the cops are finding it difficult to cope. That’s why we need to all hold hands and mobilize. We need to fight crime and mobilize communities,” said Abramjee.
“Members of the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) are also being killed in their dozens.
“The CIT robbery figures show an increase year on year of almost 60 percent. We’ve had 258 attacks over twelve months. This is shocking! It’s a real worry. The CIT industry needs to take urgent steps and use technology which is available locally to protect guards and the cash. We also need legislation with minimum standard requirement for measures to protect cash vans.
“I’m happy to see that the latest crime stats have actual breakdowns of kidnappings and attacks on farms and small holdings. These stats were previously not listed,” he said.
Abramjee added: “We have to mobilize. We have to report crime and use technology.
“The Namola/Dial Direct Safety App has over 210 000 downloads and we help hundreds of people each week to #GetHelpFast in an emergency by pressing one button. We appeal to the public to download this app,” said Abramjee who is also Chief Ambassador for the Namola/DialDirect safety app.
He said crimes against women and children “are unacceptably high.
“Robberies, at homes and businesses are, are still very high. A large supermarket chain had almost 500 robberies over a year alone. This is a huge cost to our economy.
“We need interventions at all levels and we need them now,” said Abramjee.
The activist is also a member of Crime Stoppers International (CSI) and he appealed to the public to continue blowing the whistle on crime by calling Crime Stop anonymously on 08600 10111.
He said the annual CSI conference will be taking place in The Hague in early October and “we are going to form global alliances.”
“Don’t protect criminals!”
Abramjee called on authorities to also act against the illicit trade. “This is a growing problem and we must take a stand. For example, the illegal cigarette trade is costing our economy billions of rands. This money can, for example, be used to fight crime and resource the police to Make SA safe. That’s why I am supporting the #TakeBackTheTax campaign.
“Let’s join hands and start reclaiming our streets,” Abramjee said.
Abramjee repeated his call for the crime stats to be released “more regularly so that communities can see trends and mobilize accordingly. They come out too late…”
ENQUIRIES: Yusuf Abramjee, cell 082 4414 203