The Portfolio Committee on Police today called on the top management of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to speed up its plans for a consolidated information technology (IT) system and a clean firearms database to ensure an effective firearms control process.
During the Committee’s visit to the offices of the Central Firearms Registry in Pretoria today, Section Commanders from various provinces highlighted poor IT systems, a lack of equipment, filing and office space, and a shortage of manpower as major concerns affecting the manner in which firearm applications are managed and controlled.
Committee Chairperson Mr Francois Beukman said there was a need for SAPS management to indicate clearly when it planned to complete consolidating the IT systems related to the Central Firearms Registry (CFR).
“It is worrying that SAPS has not yet fused the databases as per the 1969 legislation with the current one. We are also concerned that the issue of gun license holders in the then TBVC states (Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei) has not been sorted out. SAPS needs to tell us when this will be done, because people abuse these fragmented systems and the lack of an integrated database management to apply for firearms in different provinces,” he added.
The Committee called for the position of head of the CFR and all other vacant posts to be filled as soon as possible to address leadership and stability challenges at the CFR. Currently, it has an acting head.
The Committee was also appalled by the condition of the CFR building and said it would raise the issue with the National Police Commissioner. “The current CFR building has files stacked along corridors and this makes the building a fire hazard. Something needs to be done with this building. Its condition is not ideal for such a critical function,” Mr Beukman said.
Committee Members also wanted SAPS to prioritise the training of designated firearms officers (DFOs), who would be able to capture firearm applications and related matters in an accurate and reliable manner. The Committee said SAPS should also have a contingency plan to ensure that the process of controlling firearms at a station level is not hindered when a DFO is promoted or leaves the service.
Another concern the Committee wanted addressed was the legislative gaps hindering SAPS from ensuring proper control of firearms. To this end, the Committee gave the Secretariat for Police three weeks to table before it a list of all legislative gaps hindering the effective management of gun control in South Africa.
Mr Beukman said effective gun control systems remained a key priority for the Committee, as it is one way of reducing violent crimes in South Africa. “To reduce violent crime, we need to tighten up the manner in which we control and manage the flow of firearms in the country,” Mr Beukman said.
Turning to the issue of vetting of SAPS senior members, the Committee found it unacceptable that some Regional Commanders were not yet vetted. The Committee resolved to call the Head of Crime Intelligence to appear before it to explain the delay.
Mr Beukman said security clearances should be prioritised to dispel allegations of corruption and also, more importantly, because this was the only way members of the public could have confidence in the SAPS and its leadership.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Temba Gubula
Cell: 078 735 8809
Tell: 021 403 8307
Email: tgubula@parliament.gov.za
