HAWKS, SAPS Brief Committee on high profile cases and handling of pre-election violent incidents
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and South African Police Service (SAPS) will this week brief the Portfolio Committee on Police on the recent high profile cases, on the handling of violent protests and killings that occurred during the pre-election period.
On Tuesday 23 August 2016, the Committee will receive a briefing from the DPCI on their recent arrests, for which they were commended by the Committee.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Mr Francois Beukman, said that the HAWKS recently achieved good successes with the arrests of terrorism suspects in Gauteng and various individuals linked to rhino horn poaching as well as illegal firearm smugglers.
"The swift arrest of suspects involved in the Simon’s Town Naval Base arms cache break-in is an example of good police work that sets a good example for other police units," said Mr Beukman.
Mr Beukman further said, “It is very important for the Portfolio Committee to ensure that the DPCI has the necessary resources and skilled personnel to help in achieving their main task of fighting organised crime. We cannot have a situation where the fight against organised crime is hampered by a lack of equipment and technological capability."
The Committee will also discuss progress made towards the establishment of a separate Budget Vote for DPCI. Tuesday’s meeting will also focus on the status update of the filling of vacancies and training in the DPCI. The Committee has further noted concerns over recent reports regarding the physical state of the offices of the DPCI in various provinces and says this matter will also be raised with the HAWKS leadership at this meeting.
On Wednesday 24 August 2016, the Committee will be interrogating SAPS management on their handling of the pre-election violent protests as witnessed in Tshwane and Vuwani, as well as handling of the killings that occurred in KwaZulu-Natal during the pre-election period.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Francois Beukman, said that it was imperative for the committee to receive a comprehensive briefing on the performance of SAPS in the pre-election and election period to ascertain lessons learnt with respect to the deployment of resources for these activities.
"It will be important for the Committee to ascertain the effectiveness of the Crime Intelligence Division in the period leading up to the violent protests and the proactive steps taken by SAPS management to anticipate and minimize disruptive action in hotspots around the country. "
Mr Beukman further expressed serious concerns about the loss of life that occurred in the run-up to the elections, especially the killing of Councillor Candidates in KZN.
The Committee will also demand clarity on the reaction time by some police stations and responsible units in responding to incidents that caused damage to state property and infrastructure.
The Committee will need to be updated on the progress in the criminal investigations that flows from the incidents that occurred during the election period. “We welcome the fact that a special SAPS task team was appointed to investigate the murders, and the recent announcement of arrests of suspects in some of the cases and we look forward to getting an update in this regard,” added Mr Beukman.
The Committee will also receive feedback from SAPS management on the implementation of the Budget Review and Recommendations Report (BRRR) resolutions, as adopted this year by the National Assembly.
The Tuesday meeting with the HAWKS will be held in Committee Room 1, 90 Plein Building, at 10h00. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s meeting with SAPS will start at 09h00 in Committee Room V454, Old Assembly Building.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Temba Gubula
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8307
Cell: 078 735 8809/ 081 402 3531
Email: tgubula@parliament.gov.za
