Kufanele ubatshele ukuthi abawathembe amaphoyisa, njengoba usho nje uthi bathi abawathembi. [You must tell them to trust the police, as you are saying that they say they do not trust them.]
The challenge of response time may not be confined to rural areas only because even people in the urban areas would tell you about some of those things. That is why it was important for us that you concentrate on this area, and have a focused unit dealing with these issues. You would remember that, a year or two ago, you never had such a unit to concentrate on those, because part of what has been happening of late is that tasks may take time because of many other things. One of those would be how people still view the police as an instrument used to oppress them. We are changing that in the community. It would need a lot of work and dedication, and that is why our work is not only on specific units but also the cadre of cops who will be dedicated.
Obviously, you have your rural areas, unlike your townships and other urban areas, where the police stations were built in such a way that the police react quickly. Part of the task of this government is to ensure that even structured resources like police stations are built in these rural areas. Hon member, in terms of the strategic plan of the department, we want to ensure that, within five years, we have at least 100 more police stations. The directive is very clear - the bias has to be on rural areas, because of what we are talking about. Sometimes it is not because police are not responding, because I also come from a rural area.
Ngisuka khona, njengoba kade ubeka nawe. [I also come from there, as you have mentioned.] So, I know the challenge of the vastness of the area sometimes. When you get to the police station there is no assistance because perhaps the police are attending to another part of the very same constituency. It is a challenge and something that we are working on with the resources we have. The argument has been, even during the World Cup, that now that we have secured all these things, let these resources work to ensure that we confront crime and deal with it head-on, particularly in those areas.
Interventions to deal with case backlogs and management of awaiting-trial detainees in correctional facilities
13. Ms N D Ntwanambi (ANC) asked the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development:
(1) Whether his department has initiated any processes and/or mechanisms to eradicate the backlog at courts, particularly at district and regional magistrate level; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether such mechanisms include any mechanisms to manage the problem of awaiting-trial detainees in correctional centres; if not, why not; if so, what is the level of interaction between his department and the Department of Correctional Services in this regard? CO114E