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Farmers prefer private security to SAPS: AgriSA

Agri SA president Johannes Moller , Theo De Jager and Andre Botha. Photo: MOHAU MOFOKENG
Agri SA president Johannes Moller , Theo De Jager and Andre Botha. Photo: MOHAU MOFOKENG

Farmers prefer using private security services because of their low level of trust in the SA Police Service, AgriSA said on Tuesday.

Kobus Breytenbach, chairman of AgriSA's rural safety committee, was speaking in Johannesburg at the SA Human Rights Commission's hearing on farm murders.

He said crimes on farms were usually committed at night when families were relaxed or sleeping.

"Society should respect law and order."

He said the reliance on police for protection was at its most important moment.

"When the SA Police Service disappoints farmers, they tend to go with private security firms. In some instances they respond quicker than the police," Breytenbach said.

He said AgriSA had an open door policy with the police ministry at national and provincial level and did not encourage farmers to use private firms.

AgriSA believed government had made violence on farms a priority.

"We don't promote it as an organisation; that is the farming community's own decision to make."

He said the problem was at the lower policing levels.

Service delivery, the response time and distance from the local police station were some of the factors that affected police's response.

Breytenbach said rural police stations were also under-resourced and their vehicles were not well maintained.

"Trust of the police is at a low level. This is a challenge the police minister also admitted."

A member of the SAHRC's panel, Dr Leon Wessels, suggested a different kind of policing was needed, specifically for farm attacks.

"We need a special kind of policing. Maybe that is why farmers hire private security."

He said communication with private security was easier as they could reach them via cellphones and their patrols were co-ordinated, unlike those of the police who patrolled at unexpected hours.

The hearings are chaired by Commissioner Danny Titus.

AfriForum previously complained to the SAHRC that the police were not doing enough to protect farming communities.

According to AfriForum, 91 attacks on farms and 42 murders on farms have been reported in South Africa since January.

The Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira) said earlier on Tuesday private security was used to complement the police force, not replace it.

Deputy Director of Psira's law enforcement, Philani Mthethwa, said the use of private security services depended on how far the police stations were from the farms.

The SAHRC panel highlighted three problems linked to the attacks.

The loss of confidence in police visibility, the availability and/or response time of police during a crisis and the "half-hearted" efforts made by police while investigating the crimes.

Breytenbach said that when his stock was stolen from a farm, a female police investigator arrived on his farm wearing high heels.

It was revealed during the hearings that there were 200,000 police officers to about 485,000 active security guards.

Mthethwa said the number did not include guards who were not actively working.

The private security industry made billions, he said.

Of the 485,000 guards, about 200,000 carried firearms.

Mthwethwa emphasised that the role of security guards was limited as they did not have the same powers as police officers.

The job of a security guard was to deter, rather than react to the crime or attacks.

Gauteng chairman of the community policing forum Andy Mashaile said the response time for police in urban areas was 15 minutes, in rural areas this was anything between 15 minutes to an hour.

This often depended on the state of the roads and the police vehicles.

He said when community members were actively involved, it often yielded positive results.

In Muldersdrift, west of Johannesburg, 95 people had been arrested in connection with crimes in the area.

This was after a collaboration between the forum, residents, churches, business and local media.

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