Improved crime intelligence needed to prevent mass shootings - ISS
The Institute for Security Studies says improved police intelligence will help prevent a repeat of the spate of recent mass shootings.
Mass shootings at taverns in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have claimed the lives of dozens of people over the past two months.
Speaking during a webinar on Friday, Stellenbosch University criminologist Dr Guy Lamb said the lack of policing contributes to planned attacks on people.
"This is about focusing more on crime intelligence, it has been weakened in the past 10 years, internal dynamics due to leadership issues and corruption, the weaknesses have already been demonstrated, the struggle that the police have dealing with these issues.
"We have seen with illegal mining activities in Krugersdorp where you have to deploy high-density operations, tactical response team, the national intervention unit to deal with the militarised components, which is a reactionary kind of response. With better intelligence, you can prevent these things.”
Professor Irvin Kinnes from the University of Cape Town says the pattern of the mass shootings appears to be assailants who are trained to kill people.
"The killings in the shebeens are mostly committed by men, the shootings occur with automatic rifles and sometimes the shootings are indiscriminate. The intention is to kill, nothing is taken from the victims after being shot. Some killers become quite comfortable with dead bodies, in some cases, they go around ensuring that the people are dead. They are used to killing, they appear to be trained.”
The author of Can We Be Safe? The Future of Policing in South Africa Ziyanda Stuurman said mass shootings are not a new phenomenon.
"The nature and motivation of these killings vary from gang violence, conflict over turf, retaliation or revenge killings, and assassinations. Those are mainly criminal but they can also be political in nature too."
ALSO READ:
