However, we need to be careful to think that the solution to our high and increasing levels of violence lies in the hands of the police alone.

While the police obviously can play an important role in tackling certain types of crime, they cannot address the root causes of crime that are primarily social in nature.

By using their intelligence and investigative resources effectively, the police can substantially reduce aggravated robbery and crimes associated with organised syndicates.

Robberies occur when criminals use or threaten their victims with the objective of stealing their property.

Most robberies take place in public spaces where, typically, a young man or small group of men carrying knives target people who are on foot. As some of these criminals get more comfortable with street robberies and, importantly, they get their hands on a firearm, they progress to attacking people in their homes or places of work.

Some specialise in hijacking motor vehicles or trucks. As they get more organised, some will take on high-risk, more lucrative ventures such as committing cash-in-transit heists or attacking businesses in shopping malls.

Many of those who commit robberies are linked to organised crime syndicates who specialise in processing and trading stolen goods.

The latest crime statistics show that with 132 527 reported robberies last year, there were 364 armed attacks every day on average.

Importantly, this crime type has increased by 31 percent in the past five years. Of particular concern is vehicle hijacking which increased 14.7 percent in the past year and 55 percent in the past four years.

This shows that organised crime syndicates that trade in goods stolen in robberies and vehicles in particular are not being adequately tackled. Rather they appear to be growing in number and expanding their operations.

The SAPS has on occasion been highly effective against the groups and networks involved in robberies. For example, in 2009, the SAPS in Gauteng implemented a dedicated strategy for tackling aggravated robberies in the province.

It was managed from the Gauteng SAPS Provincial Headquarters in Parktown and guided by dedicated crime intelligence officers.

Experienced detectives were organised into 22 task teams and given adequate forensic support.

This enabled them to identify and target the criminal networks involved in robberies.

Within eight months after the implementation of the strategy, the arrest rates of those involved in robberies went up by 100 percent.

The numbers of cases sent to court and those resulting in convictions also increased notably.

This strategy had the desired impact and two years later, in 2011, residential robbery had decreased by 20 percent, business robbery by 19 percent and hijacking by 32 percent in Gauteng.

It was successful because police work that is dedicated to targeting the individuals and networks who are involved in crime is much more effective than large crackdown operations or random patrols and roadblocks that are largely a hit-and-miss affair.

Fortunately, there is cause for optimism in relation to policing. Under the leadership of acting SAPS national commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane, who was appointed in October last year, a number of promising initiatives are taking place to improve policing.

His back to basics approach is aimed at strengthening the SAPS national office’s ability to drive evidence-based interventions throughout the organisation.

However, the ability of the SAPS to pursue the organised crime syndicates behind crimes such as hijackings and business robberies will require effective crime intelligence.

This is where the best plans can be undermined because of political interference from powerful politicians and their supporters.

The national head of SAPS Crime Intelligence is still Lieutenant-General Richard Mdluli, who is facing criminal prosecution for myriad crimes ranging from murder to corruption.

He was irregularly appointed to the position two months after Jacob Zuma was sworn in as president. It is suspected that this happened because of Mdluli’s alleged role in providing Zuma’s lawyers with the so-called “spy tapes”.

These were used by then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe to withdraw the 783 counts of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering against Zuma, enabling him to become president of South Africa.

Despite Mdluli’s being suspended on full pay since 2012, the SAPS have seemingly been prevented from firing him through a disciplinary process. This became clear when former minister of police Nathi Mthethwa was reported as instructing acting national commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to halt all investigations and disciplinary action against Mdluli.

It took a court order to ensure that Mdluli was suspended and, despite the fact that evidence implicating Mdluli in corruption was successfully used to fire his second-in-command, Solly Lazarus, in May 2014, Mdluli has yet to face a disciplinary process.

Consequently, the SAPS crime intelligence division has been without a permanent head for the past four years, hindering its effectiveness.

Until Mdluli, who reportedly still receives his full perks, is removed from the SAPS, it will be difficult to repair the damage done to crime intelligence in recent years.

It is important to recognise, however, that it will not be up to the police alone to improve public safety. Substantial and sustainable reductions in violence will require a longer-term strategy over about a 10-year period, and will require agencies outside the criminal justice system to take the lead.

Limiting the factors that cause violence will be our best chance of ensuring that we can look forward to living in safety because there are simply far fewer people who are willing to engage in violence and commit crime.

Gareth Newham is the head of the Governance, Crime and Justice Division at the Institute for Security Studies.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.

Child abuse linked to aggression

Research has long revealed that there is a clear link between early childhood abuse and neglect, and later violent and aggressive behaviour.

The trauma experienced by abused children is likely to have a negative impact on their well-being and can be linked to various behavioural challenges later in life.

Programmes that are effective in preventing violent behaviour are those that assist caregivers manage their own stress, keep children safe and promote nurturing and learning.

Safe school environments that prevent bullying and violence can do much to foster development among young people, mitigating against violent behaviour.

Such programmes already exist and are being implemented in some communities by various non-governmental organisations, in some cases being supported by the Department of Social Development.

A recent Optimus study showed that one in three children in South Africa were subjected to physical or sexual abuse.

There needs to be a significant scaling up of these programmes which means we need to address the shortage of approximately 50 000 social workers in the country.

Children who grow up in warm and loving environments, who receive proper nutrition and are adequately educated are more likely to grow into resilient and productive teenagers and young adults.

Cape Argus