Most South African parents feel that South Africa is unsafe for their children and fear that they could be kidnapped.
Action Society’s latest police trust indicator survey – Are your children safe in South Africa? – thus far revealed that 98,3% of South Africans feel it is unsafe for their children to play in a park or ride a bicycle around the block alone. Furthermore, only 14% of the respondents would call the police if their child is in danger, instead opting for security companies or neighbourhood watches to provide support.
“When the majority of a country does not trust that the lawful protectors can keep their children safe, it is clear as daylight that the policing model is not working,” said Ian Cameron, Director of Community Safety at Action Society. “The fact that people would rather call upon neighbourhood watches – who understand the dangers in a specific area and can deliver support when needed, as well as warding off criminals – should prove to the government that devolution of police powers to provincial or metropolitan level will yield much better results.”
The survey further showed that only 10% of South African parents teach their children they can trust the police.
“The government can create all the laws and plans it likes, but if no one trusts in the police’s ability to protect them, the paper plans have no value, and the police service has no authority,” said Cameron. “Fix the police, and the trust will return.”
People are welcome to still complete the survey at this link.
