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Past Issues
July 2000

We await a reply

On February 28th this year, FleetWatch editor Patrick O'Leary wrote a letter to the National Commissioner of Police, Mr J S Selebi, requesting the more frequent release of truck hijacking and theft statistics from the National Crime Information Analysis Centre.

To date, we have received no official reply apart from a fax from Dr C P De Kock, head of the National Crime Information Analysis Centre, stating that the matter had been referred to the Minister for Safety and Security. "You will be informed once the Minister has reached a decision in this regard," stated the fax - which was dated April 6, 2000.

It's now five months down the line since the original letter was sent. That's a long time and we therefore publish below the original letter as a reminder to the Commissioner and the Minister that it is a rather serious subject and we would really appreciate a response on whether or not they feel it is a good or bad idea.

What do operators out there think - especially those who haul goods which are attractive to hijackers? And what do vehicle tracking and recovery systems suppliers think? Would the more frequent release of such info help you in your efforts? We urge you to read the contents of the letter - and the rationale as spelt out in the letter for the more frequent release of such information - and to let us know your thoughts on the subject. Fax or e-mail us on (011) 794-1474. We'll pass them onto the Commissioner and the Minister.

February 28, 2000

National Commissioner of Police
J S Selebi
Private Bag X94
Pretoria
0001

Dear Sir

During a telephone discussion with Dr De Kock of the National Crime Information Analysis Centre, I was told that it remains a directive from the Minister that crime statistics gathered by the NCIAC only be released on a six monthly basis. There was a time not too long ago when these statistics were released on a quarterly basis and the reason for this letter is to urge you to please consider the reintroduction of the more frequent release of crime statistics.

My magazine is targeted at the trucking industry and we have, for the past six years, been very active in reporting on truck hijackings and theft. In fact, I served on the committee of the South African Transport Security Association (SATSA) before it was incorporated into the National Crime Combating Council (NCCC) and later into Business Against Crime (where, in my humble opinion, it has been swallowed and is pretty much useless for the trucking industry).

In the past, we were able to publish up-to-date statistics which gave the industry a good handle on trends. Now, however, I have to wait until June/July - halfway through the year - before we are able to disseminate last year's trends on truck hijackings and theft to the industry. This then becomes a exercise of mere academic interest rather than a value-added tool which can be used to impact positively on reducing this crime. It is most useful for the industry to know on a regular basis what and where hijackings are occurring. It is, in fact, most handy to feed out information on, for example, high risk routes as this information comes to hand. Operators can then take evasive action to avoid those routes or to ride, for example, in convoy on those routes. There are so many positives that can accrue from the regular and more frequent release of information. Doing this on a six-monthly basis is a bit like closing the door after the horse has bolted. Think of it this way, we are talking under the present system of last July's statistics a year after the event, namely, this upcoming July.

To consolidate, please may I make this an official request for you to reconsider the release of information from the NCIAC on a quarterly rather than a six monthly basis. This will reintroduce a proactive rather than an historical perspective into these vital statistics.

I thank you and look forward to your thoughts on this subject.
Yours sincerely


PATRICK O'LEARY
Publisher/Managing Editor