Law-enforcement agencies have made major progress in tackling South Africa’s crime scourge, busting a number of gangs and seizing thousands of illegal weapons and large quantities of drugs, the nation’s police chief said.

“We are responding decisively to the war declared by criminals,” Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said at a briefing in Pretoria on Thursday. “We remain resolute in our efforts to fight crime and anyone who threatens the safety and security of law-abiding citizens.”

Africa’s most-industrialised economy has one of the world’s highest per-capita murder rates, and surging crime levels have been cited as a major deterrent to investment. Efforts to tackle the problem have gained fresh impetus since a new coalition government took office after elections on May 29, when the African National Congress lost its national majority for the first time in 30 years, and President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Senzo Mchunu as his new police minister.

Increasing the size and visibility of the police force has been a top priority, with 20 000 new officers recruited over the past two years, according to Masemola. Another focus has been to reduce the number of firearms in circulation — more than 260 000 have been seized or surrendered to the police over the past five years and destroyed, he said.

The police force has also beefed up its efforts to stop cash-in-transit heists, arresting a number of suspects and killing several more over the past month.

While the police have faced criticism for using lethal force against criminals following the recent shooting of a number of suspects, including nine in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province last week, Masemola defended their actions. Dozens of other people have died in similar incidents in the region since April.

“Our mandate as the South African Police Service is to bring perpetrators to justice by arresting them, but quite often in pursuit of arresting these often dangerous and heavily armed criminals, our police officers are more than often met with heavy gunfire,” he said. “That leaves our officers with no option but to defend themselves and the communities that they serve.”