The FF Plus in Mpumalanga submitted proposals for curbing the alarming spike in kidnappings in the province to the Provincial Legislature.
The proposals were accepted unopposed, and the FF Plus will do everything in its power to see to it that they are implemented.
According to the third quarter’s crime statistics, kidnappings in Mpumalanga rose by 13,2% since the previous financial year.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen. Semakaleng Manamela, and the MEC for Community Safety, Mr Vusi Shongwe, announced the statistics earlier this week in Mbombela.
The biggest spike in this type of crime was recorded in the region of Ehlanzeni.
Human trafficking remains a pressing problem in the province. Studies have shown that the increase in kidnappings is directly related to the significant growth of violent and organised crime.
To successfully curb kidnappings, Mpumalanga’s police force should crack down on organised crime.
Intelligence-driven policing backed by dedicated investigative units, with access to modern forensic resources, could curb the rising levels of both crimes.
The last three years’ crime figures consistently show that Mpumalanga has the third highest number of kidnappings in the country.
It is alarming, especially when considering that women and children are the victims in 85% of all reported kidnappings.
Just this week, a Grade R learner went missing from MO Mashego Primary School in Acornhoek.
In January this year, two female foreigners were arrested in connection with child kidnappings in Mpumalanga. In the same month, a 42-year-old man was arrested in Acornhoek in connection with the kidnapping of a woman.
These figures clearly show that the province is facing a serious crime problem.
Mpumalanga residents cannot be blamed for increasingly losing faith in a police force managed by incompetent individuals.
Mpumalanga deserves better than the ANC.
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