Speaker notes by the National Police Commissioner General Riah Phiyega at the Forensic Social Workers' Seminar, Manhattan Hotel Conference Venue, Pretoria, Gauteng
Programme Director, Brig Surajbali
Deputy National Commissioners Lt Gen Mbekela and Lt Gen Sitole
The Divisional Commissioner of the Detective Service Lt Gen Moonoo the Acting Divisional Commissioner of HRD, Maj Gen Gossmann
All other senior officers Delegates Distinguished guests
Members of the news media
It is always an honour to address SAPS employees who are gathered to share information, particularly when the topic speaks directly to policing, serving and protecting.
A special word of thanks goes to the Human Resource Development (HRD) Division for planning and hosting the first National Forensic Social Workers’ Seminar. I am told that we have about 100 delegates in attendance, comprising of 75 SAPS forensic social workers and 25 invited presenters, facilitators and task team members.
The training and development session of the Forensic Social Workers is convened at a very special time. Last week four years after the abduction and intervention by the Police Mvumeleni Jezile was jailed for 22 years for human trafficking, assault and rape of a girl who was 14 years then. He had paid R8 000 to her grandparents as part of “ukuthwala” arrangements. This is the practice of abducting young girls and forcing them into marriage. This young girl who is now eighteen says I wanted to finish school but I couldn’t. She says she pleaded with family and others to no avail, her rescue came from the police.
I start off by taking my hat off to you as hardworking and productive members of our FCS Unit. A very special unit for ensuring the safety of our women, children and the vulnerable old women.
It is this type of dialogue, indicative of thorough planning and implementation of proactive initiatives, which makes me believe that our policing operations are on track.
By hosting this seminar, the HRD Division is supporting the call made by the Minister of Police, Mr. Mthethwa, when he addressed Parliament on 20May 2013 and stated that “the National Development Plan (NDP): Vision 2030 put a direct mandate on the SAPS to ensure that we intensify our efforts in pursuit of public safety. Crimes against women and children and the elderly remain a challenge and a priority for the SAPS”.
This seminar is the first among many to come, that will see SAPS members and stakeholders concerned gather together to network, share and learn good practices within the profession. There is an added self-enlightened objective for me as the leader of SAPS. The following are part of my interests:
- I need you more than you need me, I shall lead the organisation to win if you win
- Tell me how I get you into a position to win
- Clearly define what winning means for you as Forensic Social Workers
- Identify the roadblocks and let’s talk about how we remove them
Numerous disciplines and professions are changing and responding new developments, challenges and opportunities. Forensic social work cannot be immune to these changes. Today, its role in policing cannot be overstated. Owing to some of the brutal and barbaric acts of crime against the vulnerable in this country, social work attempts to deal with the social problems of humankind and, in the struggle, we find competing responsibilities that all demand our attention.
Policing engagements of this nature, therefore, really excite me, because this is where we discuss different challenges that stand before us as the core organisation in the safety and security fraternity. This seminar presents us with the opportunity to discuss our challenges and seek ways to tackle them head-on.
As we open this seminar, it is important that we realise where we draw our basis for service delivery. Our Constitutional remit under section 205 (3) stipulates that the objectives of policing are to prevent, combat and investigate crime, to maintain public order, to protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property and to uphold and enforce the law. The Constitutional mandate of the SAPS is drawn from Chapter 10 of the Constitution, section 195, which, just to name a few, speaks of the high standards of professional ethics, people’s needs as well as the services which we must provide to the public impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias.
Although social workers have been reaching out to at-risk youth, gang members, offenders and victims of crime for numerous years, the term “forensic social work” has previously not been used widely. It is important to consider the violent crimes perpetrated against our children, women and the elderly and analyze the initiatives - or lack thereof - that are in place to support forensic social workers.
Forensic social work encompasses working with children and families involved in abuse, custody battles, divorce, neglect and termination of parental rights cases. All of these issues can be very emotionally charged and require an individual who is able to remain calm even in the most stressful of situations. In forensic social work, an individual also can expect to work with people who have severe psychological and mental health issues. Forensic social workers handle victims' rights in cases such as rape and murder; these services are stressful and emotionally draining to the practitioners. I encourage you therefore to be driven by an enduring spirit – a spirit that does not give up in the midst of challenges
This seminar should emphasize the role of forensic social workers in different settings:
Intersect with other departments and other relevant organisations, juvenile courts, probation departments, adult corrections, domestic violence and victim assistance programmes.
It will allow us to reflect on where we are in terms of
- implementing the National Standards for Forensic Social Work in respect of legislation and policies
- conducting forensic social work assessments and other related investigations.
- The conference should create a platform to interrogate how you objectively monitor and evaluate the service;
- You should also focus on reporting standards and protocols;
- Maintaining and developing a professional level of expertise;
- Networking with other professionals and organisations to ensure a multidisciplinary service approach.
Ladies and gentlemen, we will also look at how Forensic Social Work can position itself in all Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Units across South Africa, which were established to conduct specialised investigations in all cases of sexual offences, domestic violence and child abuse. Should we manage to get this right, I have no doubt that we will be able to assist more women and children in giving evidence that improves the probability of successful prosecutions in courts.
In our deliberations, we must not forget to seek to enhance the skills and further capacitate the forensic social workers so that they are able to ensure that a victim-orientated police service becomes an integral part of the overall criminal justice system in response to crimes against the vulnerable groups in society. This approach should also encourage victims to report incidents of crime and ultimately contribute to building confidence and trust in the police, who are in line with our theme for 2013/2014 - The Year of the Police Station: Improving the frontline services.
It is equally imperative to note that without the proper establishment, strengthening and active involvement of all relevant structures, we will not be successful in eradicating these inhumane crimes perpetrated against women and children.
The theme of the seminar this year is: “Achieving Excellence in Child Abuse Investigations in the SAPS through Forensic Social Work”. Ladies and gentlemen, in line with this theme, I am of the view that all members, who are employed as forensic social workers in the SAPS, understand and fully support the mammoth task that stands before us.
I am talking of cases of child sexual abuse in terms of which forensic social workers are expected to conduct assessments, draft court reports and provide expert testimony in court as a means to strengthen our cases with a view to increasing conviction rate. In the short span of two years, great strides have been made with regard to the establishment of Forensic Social Work in the Detective Service.
Before the migration of Forensic Social Work to the Detective Service in 2012, 54 social workers were practicing forensic social work. At present, this figure has risen to 75 with 21 other forensic social workers being appointed and an extra five posts in the process of being filled. There is an increase of referrals directly from the courts to the social workers practicing forensic social work.
The following are some of our vital statistics of forensic assessments conducted:
- 1 964 children were assessed
- 5 892 assessments were conducted
- 1 112 expert court reports were submitted to courts
- This led to 110 convictions for the 2012/13 financial year.
We will continue to use the forensic social workers to enable children to “tell their story” about the traumatic and abusive experience in a non-suggestive and child-friendly approach.
Respectable men and women in blue, who are prepared to sift through the bizarre, the implausible and the likely to reveal the facts, ensuring that the rule of law prevails, let us take all the positive ideas that we are going to learn about in this seminar and apply it in our day-to-day forensic social work.
Despite the challenges we may encounter, let us continue to have compassionate hearts to care, the ability to juggle loads of cases and the tenacity to navigate through these health issues holistically and professionally. The SAPS remains committed to working with all role players in the fight against crime.
Let me conclude by thanking for your time that you are investing in this dialogue session. I plead for Commitment, Excellence, Mental Toughness and Results. I wish you success in your deliberations. Let us work together on this journey toward to safer South Africa.
I thank you
