The SA Police Services made major strides this week in their fight against crime with the arrests of 14,773 suspects nationwide for various offences.

At least 3,051 of those arrested were wanted individuals who were traced in different parts of the country. They were wanted in cases that include murder, rape and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Disturbingly, 298 of the suspects were wanted for rape. In Gauteng alone, police said they arrested 189 alleged perpetrators of gender-based violence over the weekend.

While these figures lay bare the shocking danger that our society faces daily from criminals roaming the streets, they also underscore encouraging successes by the police. In a crime-ridden country like ours, it is far too easy to dismiss these successes as minimal, but they represent a step in the right direction.

Take, for example, the swift arrest of two men suspected to have been part of a gang involved in the cash-in-transit heist along Barry Marais Road in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni. About eight armed suspects had bombed a cash vehicle and made off with an undisclosed amount of money on Monday. The police raided a house in Rondebult on the same day and found stained cash notes, guns and cars that they say could have been used in the heist. This quick action is commendable.

But the police cannot solve our crime crisis alone without the help of our communities, even if they were to be better resourced and trained. The answer to resolving our crime dilemma goes beyond the capability of police officers. It also requires crime intelligence and community involvement. To create safer and better communities to support policing efforts, we need to encourage our neighbours to speak out and give the police information that will lead to the arrest of criminals.

This noble action begins with encouraging the public not to look away when crime is committed in their presence. Many of the more than 3,000 suspects who were wanted by the police for serious crimes were continuing with their lives in communities as though nothing had happened. By keeping quiet and not reporting those wanted by law enforcement, we are complicit in the crimes that they continue to commit. We are encouraged by the efforts of our police service, if the number of arrests disclosed this week as part of Shanela II operations is anything to go by.

But we ask you also to play your part in creating safer communities and curbing this scourge of violence facing our country.