ZERO TOLERANCE, CRIME-FIGHTING STRATEGY

Johannesburg - THE UDM has spelled out a strategy for a full-frontal
assault on crime, revealed this weekend in its 2004 election manifesto.

The party says the mushrooming of security companies and the increase in
the number of vigilante groups "is a clear indication that the ANC
government is losing the war against crime and that it has failed in one of
its primary duties: to protect the life and property of its citizens".

The manifesto states that only 6% of crimes reported result in court
convictions. And it contends that crime statistics are tampered with and
potential lifesaving information about the incidence of crime is withheld
from the public.

In addition, the UDM charges, "the linked problems of gangsterism and drugs
have been completely neglected". And it says its call in 1999 to appoint
42000 new constables for visible policing was ignored.

Among key anticrime initiatives, the UDM says it will create a crime
prevention ministry. It will operate as a crime-fighting forum where
criminal justice ministers meet and ensure a high level of collaboration
among their respective departments.

It will also set aside 0,5% of personal income tax for additional visible
crime fighting.

There will a strong emphasis on ensuring that the criminal justice system
fights organised crime, corruption and gangsterism, with special focus on
highquality intelligence, investigation, prosecution, effective
imprisonment and the seizure of the proceeds and assets acquired by criminals.

The crime prevention ministry will support and boost the work of the elite
crime-fighting Scorpions unit. The strategy will incorporate a focus on
fighting alcohol and drug abuse, involved in 80% of violent crime.

"Cutting off the illegal trade in drugs will rein in organised crime
syndicates and gangs who use it as a major source of income as well as a
means of influencing subordinates and communities," the manifesto says.

The UDM is also calling for the recruitment and training of a further 40000
police officers over a three-year period. To achieve this, police colleges
and defence force facilities that have been shut down or mothballed, will
be made use of, the party says.

The UDM also pledges to hold a referendum on the reinstatement of the death
penalty.

The UDM will prioritise the prevention of violent crime (murder, rape,
assault, domestic violence and violence against children) and theft
(especially armed robbery, hijacking, car theft and housebreaking). It also
undertakes to implement social crime prevention programmes to address the
root causes of crime.