The Reduction of Violent Organised Crime (VOC) Work Group

[Last Updated : 16 March 2009]

Roy Andersen Co Chairman of the VOC Steering Commitee

The VOC Work Group and the Trio Crimes

The VOC work group was established at the end of 2006 as part of the Step Change Initiative. The work group remains a driving force within the organisation in the fight against crime. The main focus of the VOC is directed towards addressing the unacceptably high levels of violent and organised crime in the country. The increases reported by the SAPS mid-2009 in relation to Business Robberies, House Robberies and Vehicle Hijackings remain a concern. These crimes, otherwise known as the Trio crimes, cause the greatest sense of insecurity in the country and deter visitors and investors from the country. For this reason, the Trio crimes are targeted by the VOC work group as a priority in the country.   

Governance Structure

The Violent Organised Crime (VOC) Work Group is governed by a work group leadership structure that is co-chaired by Deputy Minister Susan Shabangu of the Department of Safety and Security and Roy Andersen.

The work group includes all key stakeholders from Government from the relevant Departments of the Security Cluster (i.e., the SAPS, NPA, the Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Home Affairs), as well as various, key business Associations/representative bodies. These industry partners include the banking, retail, gaming, tourism, petroleum, and other sectors.

In order to give effective support to Government, Business Against Crime South Africa has mobilised partnerships with representative associations/organisations which focus on crime matters on behalf of the business sector.  These include:

• the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC),
• the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA),
• the South African Insurance Association (SAIA),
• the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA),
• the Security Industry Alliance (SIA),
• the Casino Association of South Africa (CASA),
• the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC),
• the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA),
• the South African Post Office, the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and other tourism associations and organisations,
• the South African Jewellery Association,
• the Restaurants Association of South Africa (RASA),
• the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE),
• Chambers of Commerce and Industry South Africa,
• Chamber of Mines,
• the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA),
• the Retail Motor Industry (RMI),
• the South African Chamber of Business,
• the South African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS),
• the Overseas Security Advisory Council,
• the Life Officer’s Association (LIO).

Guiding Objective of the VOC

The main objective of the VOC work group is to:

Significantly reduce the incidence of violent organised crime, with a particular focus on Residential Robberies, Business Robberies and Vehicle Hijackings. These crimes are regarded by the work group as high priority crimes or the trio of crimes.

Given the deplorable and violent nature of these crimes, these are the types of crimes that threaten the feeling of safety and security that citizens have in their homes, in their businesses and when commuting between the two.  A reduction in these types of crime through out the country will do a great deal to restore this feeling of safety and security, as well as restore public confidence in the effectiveness and efficiency of our security agencies.

Business Against Crime South Africa has strong partner relationships with the SAPS, the NPA and other stakeholders, such as the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, the Consumer Goods Council and the South African Insurance Association, through which information is shared in order to:

• Disrupt the activities of crime syndicates,
• Destroy the market for stolen goods,
• Speed the response to incidents and
• Prevent crimes from being committed, where possible, etc.

The Areas of Priority within the Violent Organised Crime (VOC) Work Group

The Violent Organised Crime (VOC) work group has the following overall priorities in relation to the prevention and combating of the trio of crimes (i.e., House Robberies, Vehicle Hijackings and Business Robberies):

• Effective Crime Detection – where priority focus is given to crime scene management, investigations, prosecutions and incarceration.
• Enhanced Visible Policing – here priority focus centres on intelligence-driven roadblocks, as well as `stop and search’, saturation patrols, etc.
• A rapid and co-ordinated response to the Trio Crimes – Business Against Crime South Africa and key stakeholders make use of Operations Centres to mobilise agencies, stakeholders and resources, as needed.
• Reduce and/or eliminate the markets for goods targeted by criminals – Interventions in relation to this priority are Intelligence-driven and focus on second-hand dealers who resell cell-phones, jewellery, vehicles, nonferrous metals, etc.
• Organised business alignment – Business Against Crime co-ordinates and brings together various business and Government groupings to share information and promote best practice in the application of standards, risk management and business processes.
• Promoting awareness and mobilising communities – Given the intractable and evolving nature of crime in South Africa, Business Against Crime South Africa recognises that no one party alone can bring about the required Step Change in the reduction of Violent Organised Crime. This requires the concerted effort of all. At BACSA, we are committed to realising this reduction in conjunction with our partners, both in Government and in business.

A number of our pilot projects, such as the project at the Honeydew Police Station, emphasise that communities and individuals have an important role to play in the fight against crime. Individuals are encouraged to report crimes and take an active role in their own safety and security by:

• Joining a Community Policing Forum in their area,
• Not buying stolen goods,
• Not tolerating crimes in their community, and
• Making use of alternative ways to resolve conflicts other than violence, as the majority of violent contact crimes, such as murder and rape, are committed by people who know each other.