Parliament committee commends Inanda police for improved crime-fighting efforts

Parliament committee commends Inanda police for improved crime-fighting efforts! Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police has acknowledged the improvements in policing at the Inanda police station, located north of Durban. The committee, which visited the area on Thursday, praised the station’s efforts in tackling the high crime rate, which has plagued the community for years.

Investigating Crime in a High-Risk Area

The Inanda community has long struggled with violent crime, particularly rape and murder. The area has repeatedly been named South Africa’s rape capital, and its murder rate remains one of the highest in KwaZulu-Natal.

The visit by the Portfolio Committee was aimed at assessing the state of policing in Inanda and understanding how law enforcement is responding to crime in the area. The delegation engaged with local police officials, community members, and crime-fighting structures to evaluate the progress made in combating criminal activities.

Inanda police

Recognition for Improved Policing

During the visit, Committee Chairperson Ian Cameron expressed his satisfaction with the positive changes seen in the Inanda police station’s crime-fighting efforts.

“From a portfolio committee point of view, it must be acknowledged that something is being done right to turn the tide here, and we can see that in some of the numbers. The fact that murder has decreased the way it has over the past few months is significant,” Cameron said.

While Inanda remains a crime hotspot, the decline in murder cases over recent months signals that some of the strategies implemented by law enforcement and community structures are beginning to yield results.

Community and Police Cooperation

One of the major highlights of the visit was the stronger relationship between the police and local communities. According to Cameron, this was not the case in other areas visited by the committee in recent days.

“Over the last few days, when we visited different areas, there was in some spaces a clear divide between communities working against crime and the police. Today, it was a different story, and it was interesting because we could also hear more details and successes regarding the combating of extortion,” Cameron noted.

This collaboration between community members and the police plays a crucial role in crime prevention. In many cases, crime-fighting structures such as neighborhood watches, street patrollers, and community policing forums provide valuable intelligence to law enforcement, helping to curb criminal activities before they escalate.

Tackling Extortion and Violent Crimes

In addition to dealing with rape and murder cases, the police in Inanda have also intensified efforts to combat extortion syndicates that have been terrorizing local businesses and individuals.

Extortion has become a growing concern in many areas, with criminals demanding protection money from businesses and even construction projects. The committee’s discussions with local law enforcement revealed that some progress has been made in fighting these criminal networks.

Challenges That Remain

Despite the positive feedback, challenges remain. Understaffing, limited resources, and slow response times have often been raised as key concerns in high-crime areas like Inanda.

Community members continue to call for:

• Increased police visibility in crime hotspots.

• More specialized units to handle serious crimes like rape and gender-based violence.

• Improved crime intelligence efforts to tackle syndicates involved in extortion and organized crime.

Additionally, there are concerns that while murder rates have decreased, rape and violent assaults continue to be a major problem in the area.

Way Forward

The Portfolio Committee has urged the South African Police Service (SAPS) to continue strengthening its crime-fighting strategies and to work even more closely with community structures.

With crime in Inanda still at high levels, the positive progress made so far needs to be sustained and improved upon. The visit by the committee served as an important reminder that continuous efforts, collaboration, and accountability are key to making communities safer.

While the reduction in murder cases is a step in the right direction, the fight against crime in Inanda is far from over.