Speaking at the opening of the Amalia Police Station in the North West on Friday, 24 May 2013, Mthethwa said fighting crime remained one of government's five priorities, and that government would do all it can to ensure that the backlog of police stations in rural areas is addressed.
Mthethwa said the management of the new police station should always strive to uphold and improve service delivery.
"Serve these communities with respect; respond to their calls on time and be courteous as you implement the Batho Pele principles. It should not be seen as a favour to serve communities; it is a duty that must be carried with pride and excellence," he said.
The opening of the police station comes as a time that the North West province has experienced a drastic backlog of police stations in the area, which has been a set back to the fight against crime.
While Mthethwa did not specify what the backlog was, he said that he opened two other police stations in November 2011 - one in Klipgat and another in Hebron.
"But more still needs to be done if we are to deal a blow to crime," he said.
The new station, Mthethwa said, would serve an estimated population of 15 000 people in an area where contact crimes like assault with intent to do bodily grievous harm are prevalent.
"The crime generators are drugs, liquor and domestic violence.
"Other problematic contact crime is rape and we learn that most victims are adults who are raped and sexually assaulted after leaving the tavern at night by unknown suspects.
"Residential burglaries and theft in general are also a cause for concern and are scattered throughout the station area," he said.
Mthethwa also said that the police's analysis on crime revealed that that crime in South Africa was committed by the same offenders repeatedly, and that offenders represented a very small percentage of the population.
He also said that 70% of crime in the country was mainly concentrated around three provinces - Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.
"However, as we began to intensify police operations around these provinces, crime gets displaced to provinces such as North West.
"What this speaks to is that when criminals feel the heat and try to hideout in areas such Amalia, they should find the police ready.
"We should never allow our streets to be dominated by criminals."
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