Haniff Hoosen, the ID spokesperson for police, has welcomed President Jacob Zuma's announcement on SABC television last night that the 40 000 additional police officers employed for the Soccer World Cup will not be released and will instead be used to augment the South African Police Force’s (SAPF’s) crime fighting strategy.

‘For the ID, which has for many years called for the training and hiring of more police, this boost in the crime fighting capacity of the SAPF is most welcome,’ the ID Member of Parliament says.

‘However, on top of the increase in police numbers we need more effective policing. It is for this reason that we call on the SAPF to ensure that we continue to see these police officers out on the street, as we have during the World Cup and that they are not shacked up in police stations around the country.

‘The ID would also like to reiterate its policy position on the most effective way to fight crime in our country, which is to adopt economic policies that will rid us of the terrible position of being the most unequal society on earth. At the same time, any Government that is truly serious about overcoming social decay in our country would also employ thousands more social workers as a long term strategy,’ says Hoosen.

For media enquiries, please call Haniff Hoosen on 084 2000 560