SA crime won't be a problem

South Africa's high crime levels should not affect visitors at the 2010 World Cup because crime is concentrated in areas away from the venues, the head of event security told reporters.

"Where the soccer is going to take place, where the stadiums are, where the police are, there will be low crime levels," said Andre Pruis, deputy national commissioner of the South African Police Service.

Pruis also said that police stations in more isolated parts of the country are the ones which deal with robbery and sexual assault on a regular basis, "Unfortunately those stations are in areas really still suffering from the past of our country, in underprivileged areas."

The South African government has however pledged 3.5 billion rand to help fight crime ahead of the World Cup and Pruis expects to the national police force to build up to 195,000 by 2010 with around 320,000 private security personnel.

"During a major event, a country becomes the world," Pruis said, noting that South Africa will be a venue for the world's security problems as well as being under scrutiny itself.

"You import people with their problems," he said.

However South Africa has problems that are already in the country with some alarming figures over the past few years. In a 12-month period between 2005-2006 there were 18,528 murders, 54,926 rapes, and 226,942 assaults with grievous bodily harm intended, according to the Department of Safety and Security who have recently been accused of downplaying crime levels.

In spite of these concerns South Africa still has the backing of FIFA's president Sepp Blatter, Pruis said, "Mr Blatter said, when there were rumours that it would be possibly moved to another country, he said the first choice is South Africa, the second choice is South Africa, and the third one is South Africa."

"The FIFA offices are already being set up in Johannesburg, I have absolutely brilliant co-operation with them."