Farm Safety Research Project

Guidelines for questions to be asked:

Objectives of the research project:

• Assessing initiatives to reduce farm and smallholding attacks.
  
  
• Making recommendations to inform policy on rural safety and in particular the rural protection plan.
  
  
• Developing a better understanding of the nature of crime on farms and smallholdings.
  
  
• Developing a profile of those who commit these violent attacks, as well as an understanding of their motives.

The rural protection plan:

• Are all the role players involved? (SAPS; commandos; police reservists; organise agriculture etc.)?
  
  
• Does the respondent know there is a rural protection plan? If yes, what does he think it entails?
  
  
• Is the respondent part of the rural protection plan/SAPS reservist structures/ commando structures? If not, why not, and what procedure does the respondent think must be followed to become part of it?
  
  
• Does the respondent feel safe with the rural protection plan in place?
  
  
• Respondents’ suggestions to improve the rural protection plan.

Assessment of security forces:

• How does the respondent evaluate the effectiveness of the: SAPS, police reservist structures, and commando structures in his area in fighting crime/preventing farm or smallholding attacks/reacting to farm or smallholding attacks?
  
  
• For respondents who have been attacked/victimised: How did they alert the security forces and how do they evaluate their response?
  
  
• Respondents’ comments on how the SAPS, police reservists, and commando structures could be more effective in fighting farm or smallholding attacks.
  
  
• Respondents’ comments on whether the SAPS/commandos give out information and provide training on security measures.

Motive for attacks:

• What do respondents think is contributing towards the attacks? What is the attackers’ primary motive?
  
  
• Did the respondent (who had been attacked) know some or all of the attackers? If so, who were they?
  
  
• What does the respondent think was the motive/purpose for the attack?
  
  
• Does the respondent think that the attack was premeditated?
  
  
• Respondents comments on why some attacks are accompanied by excessive brutality.

Respondents’ security measures:

• What security measures have respondents undertaken?
  
  
• What will the respondent actually do in the event of an attack? (Respondent to show in practical steps his potential actions.)
  
  
• If respondents have been victimised what — if any — security measures did they adopt as a response?
  
  
• To what extent aWhre respondents prepared to get involved in security measures (such as the rural protection plan)?

Employee issues:

• What is the relationship between the respondent and his workers?
  
  
• The effect of land claims/labour legislation/political statements on the relationship between respondents and their workers.
  
  
• How are labour disputes on the respondent’s farm or smallholding resolved?

General:

• How safe/unsafe do respondents’ feel?
• Do they feel more/less safe than a year ago?
• What makes respondents feel the most unsafe?
• What interventions can be made to make them feel safer?
• Do respondents know of people who have left their farm/smallholding because of the attacks?
• Is there any form of intimidation against people on smallholdings/farms?
• Impact of attacks/crime on respondents’ lifestyle?