According to Bolhuis, authorities’ failure to deal with petty offences has resulted in perpetrators becoming hardened criminals.

This comes as SA faces escalating crime rates, with violent crimes reaching alarming levels.

Bolhuis has attributed the surge in crime to systemic failures in law enforcement agencies, which include a lack of expertise, resources and motivation to tackle crime.

Bolhuis says the country needs detectives to handle small cases as well.

“The stealing of the cellphone, the handbag and it shouldn’t just go to the police station to make a case and get a case number and claiming from your insurance, it needs to be investigated. If you start stealing just petty stuff like clothes then the next thing you’ll steal is the electronics in the house, the next thing is the car and then you’ll get involved in cash in transits or gangs or drug trafficking. So, crime begets crime. It will always grow. You need absolute zero tolerance and you need police to do it, says Bolhuis.

--SABC--