Tuesday 6 October 2009

Tip-offs continue to nail criminals

National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele has applauded the successes of the Crime Line initiative and has thrown his full weight behind the project which has led to the arrest of 828 individuals since its launch in 2007. Anonymous tip-offs from the public led to 19 arrests in September, proving that individuals can make a difference in the fight against crime by smsing their information to Crime Line.

14 of the 19 cases related to drug possession and dealing, two cases involved the possession of unlicensed firearms, there was one fraud case, a case of possession of suspected stolen property and one chop shop was raided. Drugs and property worth R372 740 were seized by police following tip offs over recent weeks taking the total seizures since the launch of Primedia’s Crime Line in June 2007 to over R31-million.

“The figures for the past few weeks are impressive, and they are a testament to the impact Crime Line has on our communities and the good work being done by the SAPS,” said Crime Line head, Yusuf Abramjee. “We need to encourage even more people to sms any information they have on suspicious behaviour to 3 22 11 or go to www.crimeline.co.za. Please make sure that the information is detailed.”

National Commissioner Cele said, “There have been some good breakthroughs and it is impressive to see members of the community also blowing the whistle on organised crime syndicates. The chop shop that was raided recently is a good example of how detailed information can assist the police.”

In a recent statement to the media Pretoria University criminologist Dr Christiaan Bezuidenhout agreed, “The police cannot operate without intelligence, which is why we need to be their eyes and ears. It is a 50-50 partnership with communities needing to play their part, especially as criminals are created in our communities," Bezuidenhout said. "There are many people aware of criminals and their activities, but do not become involved in the fight against crime because they are afraid, which is ridiculous. Anonymous tip-offs help to save lives," he said.

Police Minister, Nathi Mthethewa agreed that it takes courage to play a part in the fight against crime, “Some of the successes in apprehending the most dangerous individuals have been through tip-offs, he told the National Press Club recently. “These brave individuals who take such bold steps do so with confidence in our system, they report these

Send your anonymous tip offs to 3 22 11 or via the website, www.crimeline.co.za