All indications are that crime took a beating in the host city Nelson Mandela Metro during the duration of the Soccer World Cup. This can be related to “saturation policing” and the massive deterrent of the special court that operated after hours. In short, criminals knew they were being watched and they also knew they would be nailed and jailed within days of committing an offence.
I have today submitted a question to the MEC for Safety and Liaison, Ghishma Barry, requesting details in crime trends in the host city and other parts of the province over the period of the World Cup.
The police must come clean with the public and give us the figures. Withholding crime statistics and only releasing them up to 18 months after the event is unacceptable. All South Africans want to celebrate a downward trend in crime and I am calling for the figures to be made public.
Our province must capitalise on the successes of the World Cup and it is imperative that good news be made public. This will assist in marketing the Eastern Cape to the world.
The Democratic Alliance would like to thank all public officials that put in extra hours to make this World Cup a success. We also congratulate the private sector for their role.
This same energy and commitment that made the World Cup a success in our province needs to be taken forward into other areas of service delivery.
For further information, please contact Bobby Stevenson, MPL on 082 775 3444.
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