SAPS should be commended for success in difficult cases

Today, the Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, expresses his congratulations to the SAPS who have achieved significant successes in difficult cases.
 
Over the past week or so, it was reported, amongst others, that the Hawks arrested 11 suspects in one operation, confiscating drugs to the value of more than R3 million. In another report, 11 suspects were arrested in a professional and efficient operation in connection with the kidnapping of a foreign national businessman.
 
Minister Fritz said, “it is easy to get caught up in the many negatives in our society. It is perhaps human nature to be more vocal about bad experiences than it is to be about good experiences. But I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of those dedicated SAPS officials who work under difficult circumstances to ensure that criminals are brought to book.”
The work leading to the initial arrest of suspects is crucially important, but equally important is the subsequent investigations and preparation of dockets which are pivotal to the successful prosecution of cases. Because of such consistent hard work, the family of Loretta Rubain can find closure after the two gangsters who killed her were found guilty and sent to prison. Rubain was murdered after she refused to pay protection fees for her son after she received a Road Accident Fund pay out. 
 
Minister Fritz continued, “an important part of bringing down crime is inculcating the perception that there will be consequences for actions. And this would not be a fictitious perception. These cases that have successful outcomes, and there are many of them; show that SAPS are doing good work. It is for this reason that we as the Department of Community Safety, which is constitutionally mandated to play an oversight role over policing, need to also acknowledge the good work and success of SAPS, in addition to holding them to account. And I want to take the opportunity to encourage the media to do the same.”
 
The Minister reiterated the Department of Community Safety’s support of the SAPS, and emphasised that it performs its oversight functions towards building up policing and safer communities.