World Cup beats crime

Danny Jordaan

"We have had an image makeover for South Africa and the continent of Africa. We have succeeded in re-branding and repositioning this country"

The world was told 2010 visitors would be entering a war zone of bloodshed and child trafficking. With about 1 940 violent crimes reported for every 100 000 people in South Africa in 2008, some fans opted to watch from home rather than being hit by a ‘stray bullet’. But while the world continually pointed a doubting finger, the level of crime during the South African Soccer World Cup has now been dubbed possibly the lowest of any World Cup. And apart from a crime free tournament itself, priority crimes during the soccer spectacle also dropped considerably as thousands of police officers sacrificed watching games to work overtime. In Richards Bay, police reported a decrease in six of the eight priority crimes over the World Cup period compared to the previous month. These included theft, assault common, burglary business, hijacking and assault grievous bodily harm. Over the period 8 June to 8 July, a total of 414 complaints were attended to and 382 cases opened in comparison to the 495 complaints and 412 cases opened over the period 8 May to 8 June.

Drop
The drop in crime can be attributed to the zero tolerance approach and extra manpower adopted by the SAPS during the soccer spectacle. Some 44 000 officers were assigned to tournament-related duties to oversee route security, border control and crowd management while more than 100 000 officers carried out normal duties. Police also worked with Interpol and security agencies from all other countries sending teams for the tournament. Richards Bay SAPS confirmed that no serious crime was reported at places where the Nigerian team stayed, practised or visited. ‘Crime was down during the World Cup, which was good for us at the SAPS and the community,’ said Captain Debbie Ferreira. ‘SAPS members were not allowed to take leave during the tournament. 'At times it looked like there were many extra police members working, but normal police duties continued and the extra manpower was that of the members working during their days off. 'For some of our members, they could not even watch the games, as they were either working their normal shift or working on their days off,’ said Ferreira. To ensure Public Viewing Areas within the City of uMhlathuze went off without a hitch, various police units, friendly forces and organisations joined hands to provide operational and logistical support.

SA image makeover
But as we bask in the glory of a successful World Cup, the question is ‘how do we maintain this?’. ‘Many people are now asking how South Africans can make the positive experiences of the last 30 days a permanent feature of our country,’ Local Organising Committee Chief, Danny Jordaan told a media briefing on Friday. ‘The police were efficient and the special courts were effective. ‘It was aspects like crime control and swift justice that were the type of things that should be carried through. ‘It is a challenge to us all in South Africa to maintain that. ‘We have had an image makeover for South Africa and the continent of Africa. ‘We have succeeded in re-branding and repositioning this country,’ said Jordaan.