fight crime in South Africa
27 October 2007
The South African Police Service has taken note of the recent media reports
by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) with regard to a need for
a review of the current Crime Prevention Strategy. Several recommendations were
tabled, which in essence, are already work-in-progress priority issues being
addressed by the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster.
The JCPS Cluster, co-ordinates the interdepartmental crime prevention and
security initiatives across the integrated justice system. The key policy
documents governing policing in South Africa are: Section 205 of the
Constitution; the SAPS Act, 1995; 1996 National Crime Prevention Strategy,
which is complimented by the 2000 SAPS Operational Strategy.
The aim of the latter is to improve service delivery by preventing,
combating and investigating crime. The SAPS strategic plan for 2005 to 2010
sets out several operational priorities. To mention but a few, combating
organised crime; serious and violent crime; crime against women and children
and improving service delivery to communities. The key organisational
priorities that underpin these operational priorities are human resources,
budgeting and resource management. Our ultimate aim is to stabilise the levels
of crime over the medium term.
The management of the SAPS is committed to ensuring that the police service
uses the best and most modern technology to prevent and combat crime and has to
this end inter-alia, installed a Genetic Sample Processing Systems at the
Forensic Laboratory in Pretoria which is used for Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Analysis, a breakthrough in terms of turn-around efficiency.
In addition, we have established a Biometric Identification and Enhancement
Solution capability within the Criminal Record Centre to deal with biometrics,
which will facilitate the identification of criminals. Recent successes
achieved in the past two weeks alone (notably in Gauteng and various parts of
the country) can be attributed to the implementation of the above-mentioned
National Crime Prevention Strategy.
One of the major National Crime Prevention Strategy successes is the
establishment of the High-Technology Centre to co-ordinate information and the
utilisation of skills and technology to support investigators in identifying
suspects, oppose bail, apprehend wanted suspects and establish links between
cases of a serious nature.
Measures aimed at eradicating crime must be shared by forming sustainable
partnership with various stakeholders. These include big business,
non-government agencies, faith-based religious organisations, other law
enforcement agencies and of course, our communities.
Issued by: South African Police Services
27 October 2007
