FOREWORD BY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE

The stance of the international community on global security and safety issues is generally characterized by a noticeable increase in the level of engagement to address those concerns. In fact, the strong sense of commitment demonstrated on the security front, has helped to provide a more vigorous response to new crime trends emerging from the increasingly global nature of criminal and terrorist organisations.

No country is immune to the effects of globalisation. The rapid progress made in the field of communication and information technology, coupled with the mass movements of people and goods across the globe, represent progressive trends for the common good of mankind. However, they do have some negative effects in the form of new avenues and methods which provide an impulse to trans-national organized crime, proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons, trafficking of drugs, trafficking in persons, terrorism and smuggling of migrants.

Similarly white collar crime, computer crime and financial crime, in all their categories, are constantly on the increase. The prevailing situation calls for a re-examination of the whole issue of public safety and requires us to expand the traditional concept of peace and security to include safety needs. In fact peace, security and safety must now constitute the key components of all national security and crime prevention strategies.

These new security objectives clearly call for a paradigm shift in the approach to policing and the entire work culture of police forces/services. Thus policing initiatives geared towards the realization of peace and security should per se cater to public safety needs. The African Common Defence and Security Policy and the African Union Peace and Security Council Protocol attest to this newfound interest. Similarly, the NEPAD peace and security agenda indicates clearly that this is an essential pre-requisite for the development of our nations.

Public safety has a new dimension: providing citizens with personal security does no longer mean only ensuring physical safety of their person and property, but has to address issues such as the fear of crime, which is perceived to be as important to security as the actual crime itself. Considering safety and security under a broader definition of human security implies that police response to crime needs to change. Similarly, safety of individuals is not the only distinguishing issue in policing but also includes the protection of our business sector and other key shareholders from all wrongdoings, including corruption.

In our quest for excellence in all spheres of policing and our constant endeavour to provide a professional customer-centred service, we in the Mauritius Police Force, are committed to developing new policing strategies. While Mauritius has one of the lowest crime rates in the SADC region, if not the lowest, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. SaferAfrica, one of the leading and most reputable non-governmental agencies based in Africa, was approached by police to assist in conducting a Mauritius Crime Trend Study to throw light on upcoming challenges on the crime front. While SaferAfrica graciously provided all necessary technical support, over forty (40) police graduates participated in all aspects of this exercise, thus ensuring the development of indigenous capacity to sustain this effort in the future. The Crime Trend Study has enabled us to carry out an in-depth analysis of information obtained from a large number of sources. As a police force we have undertaken a national survey to gather information from the public. We have conducted an analysis of police dockets. In addition to this, we have held various workshops with stakeholders that deal with issues of security and safety.

The Mauritius Crime Trend Study is a full-fledged project which has allowed the identification of prevalent crimes in the country and tabled recommendations on how these could be resolved more effectively and speedily. By the same token, it has led to the identification of crime trends as they have emerged and this helps us to engage in a crime prevention strategy to nip the problem in the bud. The results of the information gathered has shown a matrix of the extent and nature of each crime, generating objective grounds for discussion in the best manner to combat them. It is by taking initiatives such as this that we will remain in the forefront of the successful fight against crime. We must be vigilant, not only on understanding our own crime dynamics but also forecasting and preparing Mauritius to face new international threats to its safety and security.

A further consideration must be given to the fact that the Republic of Mauritius has been at the hub of this survey. Nevertheless, although national surveying might not reflect certain emerging criminal trends, this report would be incomplete if it were to ignore existing international trends such as trans-national crime, terrorism and other emerging financial and commercial crime trends. For this reason, the report focuses on recommendations emanating from information related to the study but also takes into consideration the regional and international trends that might impact on Mauritius in the immediate future.

Finally, it would be remiss not to publicly acknowledge the tremendous work undertaken by personnel of SaferAfrica for this Crime Trend Study. SaferAfrica’s active involvement in all phases including training, guiding and supervising our research team has been the driving force behind this project. There is no doubt that Safer Africa is the pride of Africa and will soon acquire a worldwide reputation.

Commissioner of Police Mauritius