Police reminded of their role to disorganize crime

In what could be the first passing out parade he has addressed at a police training college at his capacity as Transport, Safety and Security MEC, Mr Bheki Cele called upon the 143 newly qualified members of the SAPS in KwaZulu Natal that theirs was a duty to disorganize and not to organize crime.

In saluting a number of members of the SAPS who had died and served the police with honor and diligence over the last 20 to 30 years, Mr Cele said it was regrettable that some individuals within the SAPS had to be locked up in prison because of their illegal activities.

Mr Cele said it was important to congratulate women who had joined the SAPS and were climbing up the ladder in terms of positions within the police service structures.

The Minister added: "By September last year, all structures are supposed to have 30 percent of women and disabled people. The deadline was extended to March this year. Let us see this happening."

Mr Cele emphasized the need for the police to develop and nurture good relations with the community in the interest of safety, security and a better life for all. However, he warned those "gangs and criminals" who opened fire against the police that it was proper for the police to defend themselves when under attack.

Mr Cele’s stance against crime is informed by a realistic understanding of the futility of crime in black communities. A former UDF activist who was imprisoned for carrying out ANC underground work against the illegitimate apartheid government in the late 1980s, Cele has chaired the province’s Safety and Security portfolio committee for almost a decade – a role in which he excelled.

His passion for peace and stability in the communities of KwaZulu Natal has seen him playing a key role in the peace process in KwaZulu Natal – both before and after the 1994 election. He has been seriously involved in monitoring the transformation of policing in KwaZulu Natal during the transition to democracy.

A chairperson of his political party’s Durban region, Cele inherits a well-organized, delivery-orientated Transport portfolio from the industrious KZN Premier Ndebele and will aim at improving working relations between transport, safety and security – particularly around policing the taxi industry in the province.

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