'SANDF can't fix crime epidemic'

The deployment of the army in provinces plagued by serious and violent crimes will not fundamentally change the situation in the targeted areas, security experts have warned.

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula indicated on Tuesday that he would use the SANDF to support the police in combating crime in Gauteng and the Western Cape, and wanted the deployment signed off as soon as next week.

Mbalula has asked Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's office to approach President Jacob Zuma, who is the only person who may deploy SANDF troops.

When asked where exactly the soldiers were needed, Mbalula's spokesman, Vuyo Mhaga, said it would depend on the police to determine the hot spots.

"But as you understand, in a democratic country, soldiers can't be deployed permanently [inside the country] but that call becomes an operational call," said Mhaga.

Mbalula said the recent increase in gang activity in the Western Cape and Gauteng was a huge concern.

However, Gareth Newham, head of justice and violence prevention at the Institute of Security Studies, said the SANDF support would not address "fundamental problems that cause crime in these areas".

"You are not going to see the whole of the Western Cape or Gauteng becoming safe.

"In the weeks after the operation you may find that the crime in that particular area might decline temporarily.

"But certainly the military is not going to make the whole province safer or change the factors contributing to crime.

"It is a high-visibility operation that disrupts criminal activity in the area, allowing the police to confiscate firearms and make arrests in dangerous areas," Newham said.

In the past, the army has been called on to support the police.

One recent event was Operation Fiela, which was launched after a spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Newham said the best way to deal with crime was to improve police performance.

"We have had an increase in budget but deterioration in police performance.

"This has provided space for an increase in organised crime," he said.

Guy Martin, editor of defenceweb.co.za, said that soldiers were not trained in policing.

"What they can do is to provide support to the police," Martin said.