Security, National Assembly, 2006/07
1 June 2006
Madam Speaker
Honourable Members of the Extended Parliamentary Committee
The current strategic thrust for policing in South Africa is the reduction
of crime levels by between seven percent and ten percent annually. We shall
review this strategy at the end of 2009 and make whatever changes may be
necessary in the circumstances.
As Honourable Members will appreciate, any strategy requires a good set of
tactics for it to work. In our case, we believe that we have to deploy our
resources human and material in such a way that they become a well-co-ordinated
vehicle for service delivery.
Service delivery
Recent visits to police stations by South African Police Service (SAPS)
managers revealed that a flatter organisational structure was required rather
than the many layers of command and control for better service delivery to our
people on the ground. It was obvious, therefore, that restructuring the service
was necessary as a way forward to better policing and improved services using
the local police station as the crucible of such service delivery.
The revised structure will incorporate the advantages of decentralisation of
work and authority along with specialised skills that will be available at
station level.
The focus of the restructuring was directed towards the following:
1. Reducing the current four policing levels to three namely National,
Provincial and Station level which are in line with the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa (RSA).
2. Reducing the Provincial and National structures to improve co-ordination and
the provision of functional policing and the support services.
3. Redeployment to station level of certain specialised operational policing
functions to ensure crimes are investigated where they occur.
4. Moving of national, provincial and area skilled persons to stations to
increase the leadership, management, decision making and skill levels at
stations to deal with the stationsâ unique crime challenges.
5. Empower station commissioners to render a comprehensive service and
effectively manage all resources.
6. Amend accountability frameworks effectively to assess the performance of
stations and station commissioners in terms of standardised performance
indicators.
The restructuring process will not result in job losses, nor will it result
in massive displacement of personnel. Moving of skilled personnel will be done
with due regard to their field of competence. Personnel will be moved within
close proximity of their current place of employment depending on the
prioritisation of station precincts.
The revised structure will also ensure that police-community trust is
enhanced and that it also will improve the morale of SAPS personnel.
Governmentâs intention to establish one-stop service centres will benefit from
the changes we are making, as many of the complaints we receive will be
attended to at station level without reference to other layers and
structures.
The necessary preparations have been completed for the first phase of the
redeployment to commence during the last quarter of this year.
Area Offices
The most fundamental of the changes to be effected will be the dissolution of
the Area Offices. Resources from those offices will be devolved to the various
police stations as part of the station empowerment strategy.
The advantages that will flow from the new arrangement will include the
following:
* elimination of wasteful duplication
* improved service delivery on the ground
* improved command and control of all resources
* improved interaction, communication and participation
* quicker responses to the needs of the communities.
The management of the police stations will be the key to success. We have
been training, therefore, our station commissioners better to discharge that
function. We have introduced a Station Management Learning Programme,
comprising six modules that will see all station commissioners undergoing
intensive training over the next three years. The programme, which is
staggered, will end on 31 March 2009.
The investigators that will be deployed at the police stations will be a
combination of experienced members, some of whom will be redeployed from the
former Area Offices, and well-trained detectives who have emerged from our new
training programme.
This year the detective service will be enhanced by an additional 1 000
newly trained members. The addition to the detectives is a means of
consolidating our effort to reduce shortages in the service, among others, by
deploying to the detective services 30% of trained police constables directly
after completing their basic training.
We have streamlined the career path of detectives so that we retain
experienced members in operations and have them promoted within a three level
system while they continue to do functional police work, rather than promote
them into administrative managerial positions.
We are currently taking our general investigators through multi-level
specialised courses to give them capacity to investigate every type of
crime.
It goes without saying, Madam Speaker and Honourable Members, that the
allocation for the current and subsequent financial years will be directed, in
the main, to the improvements that the restructuring is ushering in, on the
basis of the philosophy of more and better resources to the front.
Crime clusters
We started pilot projects a couple of years ago to test the effectiveness of
clustering police stations for improved command and control and co-ordination.
We are now ready to roll it out to all provinces.
The strategy will define a process within the clusters where police will
unite often in joint projects to deal with cross station precinct crime and
threats.
The biggest station in the cluster will be the Accounting Station. Located
at the Accounting Station will be a structure that will be the supply chain for
the needs of the various stations in that cluster.
This will replace the area structures.
Specialised units
Some of the specialised units of the police will be shifted to selected
Accounting stations. Among those will be the Family Violence Child Protection
and Sexual Offences, Crime Combating Units as well as members from the Serious
and Violent Crime Units.
In all respects, the strategy will be to shift more and better resources to
the front, at the coalface of the fight against crime.
Security strike
In the past two months this country has been gripped by the kind of violence
that we last saw in the late Eighties and early Nineties, before the democratic
breakthrough of 1994. This violence is happening on the back of a strike by
workers in the private security industry.
No worker, or worker leader, should be happy to see fellow workers dying as
they are in the course of the strike; worse still when their death is caused by
other workers.
There was confrontation yesterday in Port Elizabeth between striking and
non-striking workers. At the end of that incident, one worker lay dead from
bullet wounds and several others were injured. The police arrested seven
workers and confiscated eight firearms.
More than 20 workers have been murdered during the strike; the great
majority having been thrown out of moving trains as happened before the advent
of democracy in South Africa. More than 256 workers have been arrested on
charges of murder, attempted murder, assault, public violence and intimidation.
Others were arrested for violating the Regulation of Gatherings Act.
The police will continue to apply the law and will act firmly against those
who commit crimes during the strike. There is no place in our democracy for
hooliganism and anarchy and there is certainly no place for crime and
criminality. In order for us to protect our democracy we need to adhere
strictly to the dictates of our law. Anyone who engages in activities that seek
to undermine our rule of law will face the full might of the law. It does not
matter who it is. You act like a criminal and you will be dealt with like
one.
The National Commissioner met South African Transport and Allied Workers
Union (Satawu) leadership on two occasions to discuss the incidence of
violence. Senior Officers of the Police have continued to interact with the
worker leaders. The Police are also interfacing with the employers to encourage
all concerned to find a settlement.
The private security industry is notorious for bad conditions of work and
very low wages. That obviously, is at variance with governmentâs concept of a
better life for all. The workers in the industry, therefore, have a right to
struggle for a better work dispensation.
There are 4 923 security companies that are registered with the Private
Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA), the company employ 306 407
workers who are security guards.
During the last Financial Year PSIRA conducted 6 527 inspections at security
establishments and compiled 1 738 dockets for improper conduct against some of
the companies, in terms of the statutory code of conduct.
We discovered in the process 718 unregistered workers. It is our view,
though, that the contingent of unregistered workers in the industry is very
big. The great majority of them are undocumented foreign nationals.
That matter is receiving focused attention by the law enforcement agencies
and more inspections will be launched in the period under review.
Crime prevention
We will continue to improve our tactics regarding crime prevention to stop
crime, in a manner of speaking, from happening. Of course, our main thrust in
this respect is social crime prevention. The Deputy Minister, the Honourable
Susan Shabangu is going to speak to that issue later on.
The key to crime prevention is to address crime generators of every kind,
including negative socio-economic conditions. Substance abuse is one of the
crime generators we are going to be paying particular attention to during this
financial year.
Firearms control
Firearm ownership
Gun ownership in South Africa continues to be an emotive issue. Guns in
South Africa continue to be the main weapons of choice in the commission of
serious and violent crimes. But, gun violence is not just a South African
phenomenon. As Sarah Brady argues in her introduction to the book The Global
Gun Epidemic by Wendy Cukier and Victor W Sidel, published this year by Praeger
Security International:
âJust as guns know no borders, gun violence has become a global epidemic,
killing hundreds of thousands of people each year and injuring more. The toll
is staggering. Experts estimate that there are 35 000 annual gun-related deaths
in Brazil, 10 000 in South Africa, 20 000 in Colombia, and 30 000 in the United
States.â
Brady goes on to make the following observation:
âVirtually every illegal gun begins as a legal gun and unregulated ownership
of guns fuels crime. Because weapons tend to flow from unregulated areas to
regulated areas, international co-operation is critical.â
She adds the following: âSince 1998 there has been an emerging global
movement to control the illicit trade and misuse of guns, and many countries
have moved to strengthen their gun laws in an effort to combat this global
epidemic.â
We are among the governments of the world that are looking at proper
firearms control and, given that this matter is again before Parliament, I will
not engage further with it at this time.
It is appropriate, though, to leave you with the following observation by
Cukier and Sidel:
âSouth Africa is one of the few countries that have allowed widespread
carrying of handguns for self-protection by civilians. Despite the emphasis on
problems associated with post conflict military weapons, the vast majority of
firearms recovered in crime in South Africa are pistols, revolvers, rifles and
shotguns, and not military weapons.â
I want to repeat that the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act 60 of 2000), and
the Firearms Control Amendment Act, 2003 (Act 43 of 2003), are intended to
assist the South African Police Service in preventing the proliferation of
illegal firearms and removing them from society, as well as to control legally
owned firearms.
Between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2006 we collected 187 772 firearms in
South Africa. It is extremely disappointing to note that South African gun
owners over the last three years lost 50 864 firearms. It is obvious that the
great majority of those weapons have become part of the illegal guns that are
in circulation at this time.
Accreditation
We will continue to accredit non-official and official institutions such as
training entities and shooting ranges to ensure that potential firearm owners
receive the necessary mandatory training.
In the past 12 months since April last year, we accredited 586 non-official
firearm institutions, including 151 shooting ranges and 232 training
facilities.
Means of detection
Significant strides have been made by the Criminal Record Centre (CRC) and
Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in the fight against crime.
Criminal Record Centre
The CRC has procured 108 live-scan booking stations capable of capturing
finger and palm prints electronically. This will improve the quality of prints
that will be added to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)
database that will enhance our ability to arrest identified suspects.
More than 2 800 digital cameras, 23 plan-drawing programmed computers, 29
digital capturing systems and 89 lift scan systems for the scanning and
printing of folien have also been obtained to assist in criminal
investigations.
Forensic Science Laboratory
The FSL has installed an automated Designated National Authority (DNA)
analysis system to double the daily analysis of samples. The unit is expected
to be fully operational by next month.
The IBIS system used by the Ballistic Units is currently being improved in
solving firearm related cases.
A Video Spectral Comparator Infrared Apparatus has also been acquired to
assist in the differentiation between inks and documents and detection of
alterations, additions and obliterations on documents.
The Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometers were also purchased to assist in
analysing drug related cases. The Craig Micro Spectrometer was also bought for
colour analysis on various materials such as fibres and paint samples.
Border control
The crime rate in the areas close to the borderline where SAPS members are
deployed showed a decrease during the past Financial Year. Cross-border crime
affecting farmers next to the Free State borderline, involving attacks on
farmers and damage to their property, has declined drastically. Farmers in this
area are increasingly sharing information with SAPS as a result and consequence
of this.
During the current financial year the following will continue to receive
priority attention:
Land borderline control
The Land Borderline Control continues to be executed within six provinces.
The priority for the current financial year is the Lesotho Land Borderline
including KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Eastern Cape.
Sea Borderline Control
The Western Cape Sea Borderline Control to deal with transnational crime
within the maritime environment was launched on 4 January 2006. The operational
area entails the Sea Borderline from Cape Town in the Western Cape to Green
River Mouth in the Northern Cape Province. The deployment includes the policing
of the various maritime zones, namely South African territorial waters,
continuous zone and exclusive economic zones and a radius of 20 kilometres
inland of the shoreline.
Air Borderline Control
The Air Borderline Control was established in December 2005 with South
Africa/Zimbabwe and South Africa/Mozambique borders as priority.
To achieve this objective the airstrips and smaller airfields in the Limpopo
Province are policed. Operations in respect to Air Borderline control were
rolled out to the provinces of Gauteng, North West, Northern Cape and Free
State.
Protection and security
The Protection and Security Service of the SAPS is paying focused attention
within the environments of Railway Policing, Ports of Entry and the Government
Security Regulator.
All the pilot sites are now fully operational. Members have been deployed at
the Johannesburg International Airport; Metro Rail System in Cape Town and a
big contingent of others is being trained for permanent deployment in the
Railway Police environment in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The National Mobile
Train Unit will also be part of the deployment.
The other Protection and Security members are deployed at the Durban Harbour
and the Beit Bridge Border Post.
The Protection and Security Service has established a Counter Assault Team
(CAT) geared for rapid deployment in high-risk operations within the VIP
Protection environment. I am proud to announce that it includes the only female
Captain Thandeka Majola to ever complete the free fall course in parachuting by
the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The process to transfer to SAPS excess SANDF personnel to do police work
commenced last year. 296 members have already completed their conversion
training. They will be part of the Protection and Security Service.
Commandos and reservists
In my Budget Vote speech last year I indicated that an alternative system
would be put in place by SAPS to address the phasing-out of the Commando system
to avoid a security vacuum. Increasing reservist numbers was one of the
identified strategies to do that.
A new system has been in force since April. It entails a call up of
reservists by the provincial commissioner on a rotation basis for which they
will be paid. The basis of the call-up will be the prevailing crime trends
identified at the given station level. They will also participate in the rural
safety programme. Despite the new system, the philosophy of the reservist
system, that it is by nature voluntary, remains intact.
An amount of R265 million has been approved for the call-up of reservists.
It will be allocated as follows:
* 2006/ 2007
R60 million to call up 8 000 reservists
* 2007/ 2008
R80 million to call up 10 000 reservists
* 2008/ 2009
R125 million to call up 15 000 reservists
Almost 17 000 reservists were recruited during the last Financial Year of
which 130 were Commando members recruited in respect of the Exit/Entry Strategy
between the SANDF and SAPS. It is anticipated that the recruitment of former
Commando members will increase as the units that are due for closure are
comprised of fully active members.
Training and skilling
SAPS training continue to use best practice to produce skilled functionaries
in the Service. In the last Financial Year, the primary focus was for
functional and operational interventions. During the year under review it is on
operational command and control, management and leadership development.
During 2005/06 four additional SAPS training institutions were established,
bringing to 10 the total number of such facilities. A total of eleven thousand
(11 000) trainees enlisted for basic training at the institutions. 26% thereof
were female.
Five pilots, including a woman, have concluded their training. A new
learnership programme in Forensic Science is being developed to address scarce
skills. The new measures to improve skills include new crime-resolving course
for detectives to be introduced later this year. 50% of the training
institutions are led by female commanders.
A total of 8 380 trainees are currently deployed at station and unit levels to
complete their third semester on-the-job training. 4241 of them will be
permanently employed as members of the SAPS with effect from 1 August 2006.
Scarce skills:
A scarce skills policy was developed and approved in 2004 designed to retain
scarce skills and pay the requisite remuneration for such skills. We started
paying allowances in April this year in keeping with our intention to retain
scarce skills.
Physical resources
Supply chain management
The Department of Public Works (DPW) and SAPS agreed in February this year
to allow SAPS to manage its maintenance, property rates, municipal services and
leaseholds. In terms of the agreement, SAPS will assume responsibility for its
own accommodation requirements as from 1 April.
The new arrangement will be monitored by an inter-departmental steering
committee, involving the Department of Public Works, National Treasury and
SAPS.
The budget allocation in respect of capital works, maintenance, property
rates, municipal services and property leases stands at R1,627 billion.
In the last Financial Year we renovated 14 police stations while 19 will be
renovated during the current period. We built 13 police stations last year and
25 new ones will be constructed during the current Financial Year.
Oversight bodies
The National Secretariat for Safety and Security and the Independent
Complaints Directorate (ICD) continue to service the Ministry for Safety and
Security.
In the previous Budget Vote I indicated that both those entities would be
restructured for maximum effectiveness. Work in that direction has already been
done. However, attention was focused at national level only as a means to
kick-start the process.
The next phase will be the structural review and design of the Secretariat
at provincial level, a matter that is receiving attention between the Ministry
and the Members of the Executive Council responsible for community safety in
the provinces, at one level, and the Department of the Public Service and
Administration, on the other. We are doing this to ensure that the same rules
and regulations would be the guiding light as we finalise the matter.
The management of service delivery complaints has been resolved between the
ICD and the Secretariat. The Secretariat as per its mandate will handle such
cases as it enjoys the latitude of monitoring and evaluating the implementation
of SAPS policies and policy recommendations on improving service delivery to
our communities. Through the Secretariat filtering mechanism those complaints
that fall within the mandate of the ICD and any other stakeholders, will be
channelled.
Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD)
An increase of approximately 17,5% marks the budget allocation this
Financial Year of the Independent Complaints Directorate. This has enabled the
directorate to continue to improve its internal capacity to investigate
complaints and to raise the level of its administrative ability to deal with
the implementation of obligatory legislation and to strengthen corporate
governance.
The ICD is an independent mechanism that was established to ensure that
policing in our country takes place within a human rights ethic and that those
officers who do not uphold the rule of law are held accountable for their
actions. The ICD is an important pillar of that system of control that this
government wants to see.
It is important for the ICD to fulfil its mandate with adequate resources.
We need to indicate that many of the ICDâs problems stem from the fact that it
has never had sufficient capacity to do its work effectively.
To this end the ICD will receive a budget increase during the
2006/07â2008/09 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) cycle. The R4 million
additional funding will be used to appoint four provincial heads at senior
management level, as well as 24 investigators all over the country. A further
20 investigators will be appointed in the 2007/08 financial year. In the last
year of the MTEF cycle, 29 investigators will be appointed.
The reprioritization of the investigation of complaints means a continued
increase in the allocation of about 44% of the overall budget, over the medium
term, to investigations.
The ICD, responding to its expanded mandate, will investigate alleged
incidents of misconduct on the part of the Municipal Police Services. It will
also continue to monitor the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act by
members of the SAPS.
The restructuring of the ICD will include the establishment of offices in
rural areas to plug the huge gap that has existed in this area of our work. At
the moment, people from the villages and countryside travel long distances to
lodge complaints with the ICD, which is located only in major centres.
Issued by: Ministry for Safety and Security
1 June 2006
