The Divisional Commissioner, Lieutenant General Phahlane
Other lieutenant generals and senior officers present
Delegates from the Forensic and Detective Services environment
Distinguished guests from other departments
Ladies and gentlemen.
“Wherever he steps, wherever he touches, whatever he leaves, even without consciousness, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibre from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget”, Paul L Kirk chemist and forensic scientist, 1953.
These words, written sixty years ago, hold true today.
Despite the major advances in technology since the text book containing his quote was written, the bottom line remains ,the detection, collection and use of quality forensic evidence is a crucial step in the investigative process. In some instances the “silent witness” of forensic evidence is the only evidence against a suspect and carries significant weight in a court of law.
Colleagues, it gives me great pleasure to address you here this evening at the gala dinner for the first Forensic Services Conference held by the South African Police Service. Those who work closely with me will tell you that I am a firm believer in holding dialogues between professional people with like-minded goals and objectives.
We started the year off in January by gathering 1 500 police commanders from across the country together to discuss the way forward in policing in South Africa. The Minister, Deputy Minister and Secretary of Police, as well as Provincial and Divisional Commissioners were present at this groundbreaking conference which set the tone for engagements during the rest of the year.
After the Ministry and top management set out their vision and expectations, station and cluster commanders were invited to share their challenges, best practices and objectives for improving our frontline service delivery to the communities. We all left that conference re-energised and motivated to prevent and detect crime and ensure stability within our country.
Shortly after the top 1 500 conference, the first Detective Convention was held in Hammanskraal, which saw the top investigators from all nine provinces gathering to share experience, skills and investigative developments over the course of four day. This Convention brought together detectives from various fields, both from the DPCI and from the Detective Service, and cemented the special bond which exists between investigators. Whether their specialty was white collar crime, stock theft or crimes against the state was immaterial during their discussions, the common and vital thread was the fact that they all gather evidence in order to secure convictions in a court of law.
This forensic services conference, the coming together of forensic and other specialists, is a logical step in the sequence of dialogues unfolding in 2013 and the years to come.
Gathered here are the very people on whom the investigators depend to properly secure crime scenes, and gather and analyse all leads and evidence which will allow them to solve a case and ensure the successful prosecution of the perpetrators.
It is encouraging to note the wide variety of experts which you have invited to address you over the next three days, from within the SAPS and from academic institutions, other government departments and the private sector. This will indeed broaden your knowledge as well as your networks within the forensic industry, a vital instrument in your forensic toolkit.
The Minister of Police, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, has placed great emphasis on improving the capacity and turnaround time of the Forensic Science Laboratories. On 21 November 2012 he said: “One of the fundamental components of the criminal justice system is ensuring that evidence that is presented before a court of law is accurate and can enable police to secure convictions. Central to the collection and analysis of such evidence, is ensuring that the SAPS forensic science laboratories are effectively capacitated and effective.”
This evening, at the end of the first day of your conference, I would like to congratulate the Forensic Services Division on the advances they have made, in a relatively short period of time, in meeting the demands which have been placed before them.
This Division, as with the rest of the SAPS, is an integral part of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster which has the objective of bringing about an integrated, modernised, properly resourced and well managed Criminal Justice System (CJS). One of the focus areas of the Division is to ensure a forensic human resource capacity which is responsive to the needs of the CJS and to advance the development of personnel in forensics.
Over the past three years, the Division has embarked on focused recruitment drives and has already appointed over 1 500 analysts and examiners with another 750 appointments envisaged during the present financial year. This capacity is distributed widely between identified key areas, including Crime Scene Management, Forensic Laboratories and the newly established Quality Management component. Recruitment and appointment is followed by internal training, institutional development and mentoring and coaching, to ensure that critical skills are developed and transferred.
This approach has been vital in ensuring that personnel are empowered and equipped to deliver efficiently and to play their part in meeting the objectives of the CJS.
Some of the successes which were achieved by this Division and which will be built upon as we journey further along the path of improving our service delivery are:
- In July 2012 the state-of-the-art SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory was opened in Plattekloof in the Western Cape. The laboratory is fully operational and all forensic disciplines are provided in this facility;
- A revised structure for the Division was implemented with the establishment of a Quality Management Component, a Victim Identification Centre and incorporation of the Investigative Psychology Unit;
- There was a sustained continuation in the reduction of backlogs;
- The relationship between this Division and the Department of Home Affairs with regard to fingerprint data bases was enhanced;
- A help desk to promptly process police clearance certificates wad created.
Present during this conference are police experts across a wide field, who often collaborate in order to bring violent offenders to book. A crime trend that remains a priority and a concern from the SAPS and other role players in the CJS is that of crimes against women, children and the elderly. A number of successes have been achieved through an integrated effort by various SAPS expert units including the Detective Service, the Investigative Psychology Unit and Forensic DNA services.
Some of the more noteworthy cases include:
- The Westonaria Serial Rapist who pleaded guilty to 16 murders, 19 rapes and various other charges including aggravated robbery, kidnapping, theft, escaping from custody and sexual assault. He was convicted and received 20 life sentences and over 400 years imprisonment.
- The Muldersdrift Serial Rapist who received two life sentences and 95 years imprisonment on seven counts of rape, two counts of theft and three counts of robbery.
- The Khayelitsha Serial Rapist who was convicted on 12 counts of abduction, 12 counts of rape and one murder and was sentenced to 11 life sentences and an additional ten years imprisonment.
- The Grootbak rivier Serial Murderer who raped and murdered two women and four minors was sentenced to four life sentences and 15 years imprisonment.
- The Sunday Rapist who was convicted on ten counts of abduction, seven rapes, one murder and sentenced to five life sentences and 170 years imprisonment.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is extremely impressive work and it is a thorn in my side I am sure we all feel this way – that the expertise and dedication among our members is very rarely seen by the public. Our communication department has been tasked with ensuring that our narrative is told so that the citizens of South Africa, and the world, can appreciate the pride, integrity and passion for excellence which is abundant among our personnel.
I know that one of the focus areas of this conference is to uncover the myths around forensics. I am sure that many of us watch the CSI television series as it is a hugely popular show around the world. It has certainly created a much-needed awareness of forensic services but I’m sure it has also created unrealistic expectations as well.
One of the disadvantages of this TV series is the amazingly quick turnaround time that is achieved in that forensic results are produced within minutes on the show, whereas in reality it takes a lot longer! It must be acknowledged that the turnaround times have improved significantly within the division: Forensic Services and this Conference will undoubtedly also focus on the concerted effort required between various role players in ensuring that quality samples are collected to achieve the desired results.
Once again, I commend the management of the Division for arranging this conference. I hope that this will be the first of many dialogues within the Division and between this and other Divisions. Under the Crime Detection strategy, the Detective Service, the DPCI, Forensic Services and Crime Intelligence have vital and inter-linking roles to play to secure convictions and ensure that the people of this country are and feel safe.
My congratulations to all recipients of medals which will be awarded at a medal parade on Friday. Medals for 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years of service will be handed out. I am very proud of you for the many years – indeed in some instances, a life time – of honest and dedicated work that most definitely sets you apart as people with a passion to serve. Your medals for faithful and loyal service are badges of honour, wear them with pride.
I want to urge each and every one of you to make use of this wonderful opportunity and to participate whole heartedly in discussions. I look forward to the end result and expect to see key resolutions being derived from your inputs, resolutions which will take us forward into an even better era of policing through forensic and investigative excellence.
The advances which you have already made under the leadership of Lieutenant General Phahlane in turning the tide with regard to forensic backlogs and lack of capacity is truly inspiring. But, as we all know, there is never time to sit back and say “We have done enough”. We must move forward with the times and we must move forward together, as you have proved with this conference you are willing to do.
As the country remains in a somber mood, praying for our iconic former President Mandela, let us all stay steadfast in honoring him by serving and protecting the people of this country, his rainbow nation. Let us all too, whether individually or in groups, volunteer to improve the lives of those less fortunate than us on his birthday 18 July 2013. These are the real and tangible things that we can do out of respect for our former President.
