Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Anglican Archbishop of the Province of Southern Africa, gave the opening prayer at a public Day of Prayer against Crime on 13 April. The day was organised by the police. The Archbishop said that South Africans were glad that under the government of President Nelson Mandela the police were now regarded as friends, no longer as the enemy of the people. The police service was now representative of, and there for all the people.

The South African Police Service (SAPS), hard-pressed to contain the country's rampant crime, organised the national prayer day against crime. South Africa is regarded as one of the most violent countries in the world. A newspaper report last year said the country had the highest homicide rate of the 55 countries which supply homicide statistics to the World Health Organisation.

The aim of Day of Prayer against Crime was to pray to God for protection and blessing in the fight against crime and to call on churches to unite against crime, Senior Superintendent Johan Smal, spokesperson of the Human Resource Management of SAPS, said today.

About 2000 people attended the day of prayer, song and testimonies held in the Loftus Versfeld rugby stadium in Pretoria, 60 kilometres north of Johannesburg.