Given the seriousness of the drug problem in our communities, I thought I would post this recent message from Teun Baartman, CPF Chair (with his permission). I think we all know that the criminal justice system is failing us: this is just one example. Rob
Subject: Justice is failing the community On Friday 5 March 2010 Woodstock police arrested a man and confiscated drugs worth R 100 000: heroin, tik and tik lollies. This was the biggest drug bust ever by officers of the Woodstock police. Well done to them! What happened after that is completely absurd and shocking: the suspect appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on 8 March 2010 on a charge of dealing in drugs and was released on bail of R 2000. Time and again we have to answer this question from our community: why is a criminal like this arrested and back on our streets three days later? Why should we be co-operating with the police: it has no use anyway, because the criminals are apparently free to go? South Africa has been applauded the world over for having one of the best constitutions, in which the rights of all are protected. But increasingly we have to wonder if the rights of the criminal are not placed above the rights of the community. Woodstock like many other areas of Cape Town and other South African cities is battling with drug-related crime. Youngsters are falling prey to drugs; crimes are committed by people trying to find money for their next score; recently students have been murdered in what appeared to be robberies which we believe to be drug-related. Police and community are doing their utmost to fight this kind of crime. Yet it all comes to naught, because the criminal justice system favours the rights of criminals over the rights of the community. Drug dealers are arrested by police and subsequently released back onto our streets by judges and magistrates. Where is the justice in that? What was the magistrate in the above case thinking? This government says it is serious about fighting crime. But these are just words as long as the rights of the community are not taken seriously and the criminal justice system does not get beefed up. Criminals like this Woodstock drug dealer belong in jail and should stay there. We want to make an urgent call to all law-abiding residents to demand change from this government and say: if you want to get tough on crime, then do it! Stop talking and start protecting the community. Let us show the finger to president and ministers, judges and magistrates, attorneys and prosecutors, who think criminals deserve more rights than you and me! -- Teun Baartman (Chairperson Woodstock Community Police Forum) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en
