The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) will be appearing before the Portfolio Committee on Police (herein referred to as the Committee) on 1 November 2011 to account to the committee for its performance in the 2010/11 financial year as set out in the Annual Report of the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) for 2010/11 that was tabled on 29 September 2011.
The Annual Report 2010/11, details how the ICD performed against its strategic objectives and indicators for the period under review. It contains the reports of the Auditor-General and Audit Committee of the ICD, the Audited Financial Statements as well as information on the number of cases received and completed during the period under review.
The following strategic objectives and priorities shaped the ICD’s 2010/11 agenda:
- New legislative framework
- Liaising with the Civilian Secretariat for the Police Service
- Improving public access to the ICD
- Raising awareness of the ICD
- Achieving the targets set for concluding investigations and
- Ensuring better service delivery.
The ICD’s Annual Report 2010/11 was tabled on time before the end of September 2011.
As a result, some of the highlights in the ICD’s report include the following:
1. The ICD obtained an unqualified audit from the Auditor-General for the second year running. This indicates that the Executive Director and management of the ICD are committed to improved service delivery and responsible fiscal management of state resources.
2. The completion of investigations is an important measure of the ICD’s performance. The ICD managed to finalise investigations of 82 percent of cases of deaths in custody or as a result of police action, exceeding the target of 65 percent by 17 percent.
3. The ICD completed 83 percent of its investigations into allegations of criminality against members of the SAPS. This means that the target of 55 percent was exceeded by 28 percent.These performance figures are a clear indication of improvement in the efforts made to strengthen civilian oversight over the police.
4. The president signed the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) Bill into law on 12 May 2011.The ICD will soon become known as the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.
5. In relation to statistics, 5 869 cases were received during the period under review, of which:
- 797 cases were notifications of deaths in police custody and deaths as a result of police action
- 102 cases were domestic violence non-compliance matters
- 2 493 cases were allegations of criminal offences
- 2 477 cases were allegations of misconduct alleging contravention of police standing orders and regulations
6. Compared to the financial year 2009/10, the following changes are notable –
- deaths decreased by 7%, from 860 to 797
- domestic violence non-compliance matters decreased by 19% from, 126 to 102 cases
- Criminal offences increased slightly by 1%, from 2 462 to 2 493
- Misconduct complaints decreased by 15%, from 2 929 to 2 477
7. Overall there was an 8% decrease across the board. 6 377 cases were received in 2009/10 compared to 5 869 cases that were received in 2010/11.
8. Five hundred and one (501) recommendations for prosecution were made to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
9. Two thousand two hundred and sixty one (2 261) recommendations were made to SAPS management in respect of disciplinary action.
10. ICD investigators spent 1 014 days in courts or disciplinary tribunals.
11. Fifty nine (59) convictions in the courts, with sentences ranging from fines to 20 year jail terms and 88 convictions emanating from disciplinary processes were obtained.
12. There are more than 500 cases in the courts around the country.
The Executive Director of the ICD said: “The ICD is committed to doing even more to ensure that it delivers on its mandate and that it serves the people of South Africa by ensuring that policemen and women who abuse their powers are brought before the courts and are held accountable for their actions.” The ICD hopes that the implementation of the IPID Act will take place soon so that the IPID can focus on the priority crimes allegedly committed by members of the SAPS and municipal police services.
For enquiries:
Moses Dlamini (ICD National Spokesperson)
Cell: 082 809 1927
E-mail: mdlamini@icd.gov.za
