"Towards 2010: Safety is not just for those who can buy it"

No mention of harm reduction...

"Towards 2010: Safety is not just for those who can buy it"

The affluent are obsessed with crime, but it is the poor that fight daily for survival, writes Irvin Kinnes. Only when we realise that all lives are equal can the safety of World Cup visitors be assured

May 16, 2007 Edition 1

How safe is Cape Town? Do we think that our preparations for 2010 will increase safety or will they only provide safety for certain sections of our population? Can Cape Town truly proclaim itself an inclusive, world-class city when it comes to safety?

There is a common illusion that Cape Town is a world-class city - not only because it attracts the lion's share of the tourists who visit South Africa, but because it is able to provide tourists with a host of services that compare very well with those of other international destinations. In addition, it has much else to offer.

But this is not what makes a world-class city.

The safety of its residents, its streets and its capacity to deal with crime are also determining factors. Implicit in the definition of a world-class city is the notion of human security. The UN Commission on Human Security argues that:

"Human security means protecting vital freedoms. It means protecting people from critical and pervasive threats and situations, building on their strengths and aspirations. It also means creating systems that give people the building blocks of survival, dignity and livelihood. Human security connects different types of freedoms - freedom from want, freedom from fear and freedom to take action on one's behalf."

If we see Cape Town in this context then we have to ask a few serious questions when it comes to crime and crime strategies.

There is the notion of two Cape Towns that bedevils its world-class ambitions - one rich and one poor. Despite the fact that crime affects people of all races and religious persuasions, the notion of safety for the rich and poor are two diametrically opposed realities in our divided city.

Many people who are comfortable behind high walls, security fences and security cameras are also those who are obsessed with criminals. For many people on the Cape Flats - who do not have access to water, sanitation, safety or security guards - survival is uppermost in their minds. Having something to eat for supper seduces them.

So fear is a temporary thing when you have to live side by side with your local criminal - as long as he does not interfere with you or your family.

Those who can afford long-term planning to protect their family and possessions do so with insurance and security booms. To the people of Joe Slovo in Langa, who have had their houses burned for the umpteenth time, security is the last thing on their minds when they have to worry about how they will find a roof over their heads.

I make this point because the realities of crime are so different for so many people in this city of ours. And yet, when you read the newspapers, you will believe that the areas where the rich live are completely under siege!

Our realities are different.

Our crime statistics paint a very bleak and sobering picture of this reality, despite the fact that there are those who do not want to know how the crime patterns have changed over the years.

Historically, Cape Town has had different crime patterns for different parts of the city.

If we examine the statistics, we find that crimes against women and children in particular have been particularly acute in the northern suburbs and Mitchell's Plain, where particularly brutal attacks have occurred against children in the last two years.

We also see that violent crimes such as murder, rape and armed robbery have risen in areas such as Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Kuils River and Mitchell's Plain.

Drugs have been synonymous with areas such as Woodstock, Salt River and Cape Town. Areas such as Lavender Hill, Hanover Park, Nyanga and Manenberg have faced a high incidence of firearms and ammunition.

Pinelands, Melkbosstrand and Simon's Town have high incidences of residential burglary. The statistics are uneven and fit neatly into the stereotype of a divided city where violent crime is perpetrated against (and by) inhabitants of the poorer sections of the city.

It is this view of Cape Town crime that persists in the minds of its inhabitants when it comes to the fact that we are about to host the Fifa World Cup in 2010.

However, today that crime trend is changing fast. That is the central issue that we have to come to terms with. The patterns of crime will change for a variety of reasons before and after 2010.

If we are to make any inroads, then the opportunity to influence and shape a positive outcome is upon us.

The staging of the World Cup has historically stopped wars, if even for just over one hour, as the Iran-Iraq wars have shown.

We should now use this golden opportunity to mobilise our communities to fight crime irrespective of race, geography and economic means. We have to do this because our much-maligned crime statistics have been showing a disturbing trend.

Drugs are becoming common in all communities, rich and poor. The incidence of drug availability, particularly to children, has to force a change in attitude by all - especially police agencies. If anything other than race can tear a community (and most definitely a city) apart, then it is drugs. If one considers the growth in the incidence of drugs then we should all be very proactive to combat the scourge of tik and other drugs affecting our youth. The statistics of the UN Office for Drugs and Crime, the Medical Research Council and indeed the Human Sciences Research Council all agree that drugs have by far shown a greater increase than other types of crime.

If we are to look at Figure 1 we can see that there has been a definite decrease in the corresponding years for murder in Cape Town. Notice the complete disparity when comparing the figures of Simon's Town, Table View and Pinelands as opposed to Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Mitchell's Plain.

The graph is so instructive that I will not even attempt to disaggregate the percentage drop in murders over the last six years.

If, on the other hand, we look at the same suburbs with respect to drugs, we see a different pattern, as Figure 2 demonstrates. If we were to add a trend line to this figure, no doubt it would rise at close to a 45° angle. This is because in areas such as Mitchell's Plain, drug cases have increased by a massive 580%!

Interestingly this trend affects all suburbs and communities including the well-off communities. Areas such as Melkbosstrand, Pinelands, Table View and Simon's Town all show increases above 50%.

The actions of vigilantes regarding this issue have clearly not borne fruit. Killing drug dealers has not led to less availability of drugs. On the contrary, it has led to a proliferation of drugs … and now they are in the hands of our children.

Studies undertaken by Luke Dowdney, of the Children Involved in Organised Armed Violence, in 10 areas which included Kingston, Medellin, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Lagos, Chicago, Belfast, El Salvador, Ecuador and the Philippines, point to social marginalisation and lack of leisure facilities as reasons why young people turn to crime, gangs and drugs.

The social conditions that are driving young people into gangs, drugs and crime are not diminishing; they are becoming more acute and the disparity between haves and have-nots is increasing, thereby increasing the risk factors that drive young people to a life of crime.

That is why the initiatives shown by the Mitchell's Plain community become so important. In any community the greatest deterrent against criminals succeeding is a good relationship between the local police and the community. The name and shame campaign of the Mitchell's Plain community, under the leadership of director Jeremy Veary, has some drawbacks and issues with sustainability and right to privacy, but on the whole it activates a whole street, a whole section and finally a whole community to act against drugs and take back the streets.

The other example of a community coming to terms with crime, in a very different manner, is the Proudly Manenberg initiative, which mobilises the community to confront its identity and fear by involving everyone in developing the building blocks of survival, dignity and respect. We should not underestimate the potency of these campaigns in that they are the start of a fire that has captured the imagination of other Cape Town communities.

However, one has to caution against opportunists and vigilantes who will try to usurp positive community action in order to change the agenda. Only by safeguarding all communities and developing policy with respect to criminal threats and opportunities can the police and other law enforcement agencies hope to provide protection and support to communities.

A tremendous amount of goodwill has been generated as a result of the initiatives in Manenberg and Mitchell's Plain. One can only hope that the SAPS will grab the opportunity and assist in mobilising other communities.

The window of opportunity may soon close as we approach another taxi war on the Cape Flats. The police have to act fast, efficiently and professionally when it comes to these threats against the residents of Cape Town. When it comes to taxi wars, gangs and drugs, time is fast running out if we want to secure the city and make it a home for all.

Only when we realise that the lives of all people in Cape Town are equal, can the safety of tourists and football fans be assured.

Only then can we begin to look forward to a World Cup that delivers new standards for operational efficiency when it comes to policing. In order to see real benefits for all, we have to plan for way after 2010 and look forward to a city that begins to include all in the delivery of safety.

We can change Cape Town by having a joint city and provincial initiative to fight drugs, gangs and crime by:

Bringing on board community members willing to volunteer to deal with our tik-addicted youth.

Creating safety zones in each of our communities where people can claim the space and begin to organise safety in other areas.

Establishing programmes that advise families on where to go and what to do when children are at risk of being drawn in by gangs or drugs.

Encouraging residents to do voluntary work at hospitals so that patients can get better treatment; and by making more treatment centres available.

Getting the SAPS and metro police to develop a strong public relations partnership; work with communities affected by crime, and improve service delivery.

Encouraging participation in sport and building sports clubs, especially football, among the youth and other sectors in the community.

Developing a sense of ownership of the World Cup that has all communities working together.

Dealing with gangs and drugs in a more sustainable, imaginative manner through co-operation between the province and the city, together with the community and business.

We cannot live with the illusion that Cape Town is safe for all its peoples. Safety is not only for those who can afford it.

The architects of the Freedom Charter long ago spoke of a South Africa where "there shall be peace and friendship". Many of our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and children have died fighting for this ideal. We dare not disappoint them.

Irvin Kinnes is an independent criminologist and reasearcher, and co-founder of the Proudly Manenberg campaign