R16,2 million for detective training in the 2011/12 financial year to secure convictions.
The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa today reiterated and assured South Africans that police will not rest this festive season and further warned criminals that this festive season will be a sad and broke season for them.
He emphasised this point as he responded to a Parliamentary question on whether his department has identified a strategy to combat the rise of bombings of automated teller machines (ATMs), as indicated in the recent crime statistics report.
“The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, otherwise known as the Hawks, has an operational strategy to address the threat of ATM bombings. The strategy entails the establishment of provincial task teams to specifically focus on combating and investigating ATM bombings. Since the implementation of the strategy we have succeeded significantly in reducing ATM attacks and the figures for the first six months of this financial year show a decline of 17%.”
“We are aware that as we approach this period (festive season) there are some criminals who are also making preparations to go on holidays, buy expensive things based on blood money. If they think this is going to be a festive season, well how wrong they are, because I have instructed police to have no mercy on these scoundrels. This will be a mourning season for them and we shall ensure that we become vicious in thwarting their actions,” he stated.
Meanwhile the Minister further reiterated that the SAPS shall continue to ensure it trains more specialised detectives as well as the up skilling of investigators. He highlighted that although the recent crime statistics indicated a downward trend, particularly in relation to murder, more still needs to be done in ensuring that those arrested receive harsher convictions.
“If one looks at the 1 6834 murders that have been recorded in the 2009/10 financial year, 8 547 arrests with a percentage of 50.77% and 3 060 convictions with percentage of 35.80%. We need to strive for more convictions around the murder cases, which will not only show how serious we are about dealing with this scourge, but equally cement society’s trust in the police.”
“That is why I have also emphasised to the police to hunt these scoundrels until they find them. We can achieve this as we continue to upskill our detectives, at both entry level and during the course of their investigations. We have also been reiterating that when it comes to training, like any other science, it is always under construction.
A murder case should never be completely closed but there are 1 743 cases where the cases have been filed because suspects are undetected, which translated to a 10.35 %,” stated the Minister.
Minister Mthethwa added that detective training is an ongoing process. “1384 detectives will be trained in the 2011/12 financial year, 1 731 detectives will be trained in the 2012/13 financial year and 1 730 in the 2013/14 financial year. Furthermore, the department budgeted a total of R16, 2 million for detective training in the 2011/12 financial year.”
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