SA Police Services 2012/13 Annual Report: Research Unit analysis & Committee questions: Programmes 1 & 2

Meeting report

South African Police Service (SAPS) Service Delivery and Financial Performance during the 2012/13 Financial Year: Analysis of Annual Report findings
Ms Nicolette van Zyl-Gous, Committee Researcher, presented her analysis of the findings reported in the 2012/13 Annual Report of the South African Police Service (SAPS). She reminded Members, by way of introduction, that the hearings on the Annual Report were intended to ensure that SAPS provided high quality services, economical in nature, delivered efficiently and effectively, that these services were rendered in line with the SAPS’ constitutional mandate, strategic plans and budgets, and that the services contributed meaningfully to overall government objectives. The Committee would assess how the Department could improve on its performance.

She outlined the financial and service delivery performance for each of the programmes (see attached presentation for full details).

Programme 1: Administration reached 71.42% of its target, which was categorised under    Building Environment and Information Systems and Information Communication Technology (IS/ICT). There were several key areas of concern, one of which was spending and delivery under the IS/ICT. There was a 97.7% expenditure rate.

Programme 2: Visible Policing achieved 68.43%of its target. The targets to reduce serious crime, contact crime and trio-crimes were not achieved. It also failed to reduce the high number of escapes from police custody and did not establish the 980 police stations with Victim Friendly Services. In addition, the Auditor-General (AG) had made some material findings regarding the lack of reliability of information on targets, which cast doubt on the reliability of the achievements reported for the programme in the 2012/13 Financial Year.  
           
Programme 3: Detective Services had achieved 79.16% of its predetermined target. Detection and conviction rates for serious crimes were not achieved. The target to increase the detection rates for crimes against women and children was not met. There was a 101.1% expenditure rate.
                                               
Programme 4: Crime Intelligence met 100%of its target. However, the lack of measurable targets in this environment had been a source of concern of the Committee in the last couple of years. There was a 99.2% expenditure rate.

Programme 5: Protection and Security Services reached 50% of its target was achieved. Six security breaches occurred.

Overall, the Department of Police (the Department or SAPS) recorded an under-expenditure of 0.4% (R232.096 million) which was mostly related to an under-spending in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) revamp relating to the technology and forensic science environments. A significant under-spending was recorded in terms of Goods and Services, and for Capital Assets, where only 87% of its allocated budget was spent on Buildings and other fixed structures.

The Departmental revenue received increased during the 2012/13 financial year in comparison with the previous year, but donor funds/assistance decreased significantly. A worrying trend was indicated in the increase in the contingent liabilities of the Department.

Overall, the key areas of underperformance were:
-The percentage of police facility projects completed as per predetermined targets,
-The percentage of planned annual funded IS/ICT projects completed,
-The recovery of stolen and robbed vehicles,
-Reduction in the number of escapes from police custody,
-The rendering of a victim-friendly service at police stations and service points,
-Detection rate for serious crimes,
-Conviction rate for serious crimes,
-Detection rate for crimes against women,
-Detection rate for crimes against children,
-Lack of measurable targets for the Crime Intelligence environment,
-Percentage of security provided in relation to security breaches,
-Percentage of national key points evaluated.

Discussion
Members asked how the bulk of the money was spent.

Ms van Zyl-Gous responded that the bulk of the appropriation amount was spent on the permanent appointment of the security guards, which was not allocated for in the budget.

All other discussions engaged in before the delegation from SAPS was admitted were behind closed-doors. 

South African Police Service (SAPS) Annual Report: Questions on Programmes 1 and 2
First session
The Chairperson wanted to know whether the Disciplinary Code Agreement 2012 had now been signed by the Minister.

Lt. Gen Nhanhla Mkhwanazi responded that in 2012, Major General Gibson, the Head of Inspectorate in KwaZulu Natal province resigned from the organisation under Section 35 and the application was approved by the Minister.

Lt Gen Mr N Mazibuko, Divisional Commissioner: Personnel Management, and Acting Commissioner for Human Resource (HR) Management, Programme 1, SAPS, replied that the Disciplinary Regulations were signed by both the employers and the Union but would only take effect when promulgated by the Minister. Meanwhile, possible weaknesses in the regulation were being scrutinised. The major outcome of the scrutiny would be the restriction of management prerogative in dealing with disciplinary matters in the service.

The Chairperson inquired when the disciplinary regulation was submitted to the Minister.

Lt Gen Mazibuko responded that it was submitted about six months back. Identification of weaknesses in the regulation could be responsible for the delays in its promulgation by the Minister.

The Chairperson asked about the status of the reduction of the income from sales.

Lt Gen Stefan Schutte, Divisional Commissioner, Financial and Administrative Services, SAPS, responded that the decrease in the sale of capital assets, as reflected in section 2.4 of page 229 of the SAPS Annual Report, from R5.087 million to R2.736 million related to machinery and equipment. This related to transport assets.

The Chairperson asked for the indication of the sales of the auctioning assets.

Lt Gen Schutte said the details were not presently available but would be presented when they were received..

The Chairperson asked what the reason was for implementing section 35 and what costs were incurred.

Lt Gen Mkhwanazi responded that the costs involved would be calculated and reported back to the Committee. Section 35 was utilised because the post in question was downgraded from that of a Major General to a Brigadier, and the particular officer was facing medical challenges.  Page 172 of the SAPS 2012/13 Annual Report set out that the amount paid by the SAPS to the employees was R1.4 million. Payment was made in respect of the leave gratuity, product and service bonus, severance package and the notice period. However there was an additional liability to the Government Pension Fund, which amounted to R2 million.

Mr P Groenewald (FF) asked why there was a difference in the numbers reflected in table 6.6 on page 177 of the SAPS 2012/13 Annual Report (regarding the disciplinary actions) and the numbers in table 11.2 on page 183. He also wanted clarity on the sick leave figures on page 180, in skills levels 3 to 5, which suggested that 54%, or 75 105 employees, had gone on sick leave. This could not be correct as there were only 105 000 employees at this level. He asked what SAPS was doing about the incredibly high amount of taxpayers’ money (R618.253 million) being spent on sick leave of employees, asked for an indication of the three main reasons for sick leave, and wanted to know if this had increased or decreased over the years.

Lt Gen Mazibuko replied that the reason for the variance between table 6.6 on page 177 and table 11.2 on page 183 was that the former figure was reporting on the current Financial Year (FY) whilst the figure finalised in table 11.2 reported the figures carried over from the previous FY but were only finalised in the current year, hence the higher number.

The Chairperson asked what the average sick leave figure per day was.

Lt Gen Mazibuko replied that he did not have the figure but he could calculate it and report back to the Committee at a later date.

The Chairperson expressed her utmost disbelief that such an issue as the average sick leave figure, which had  huge impact on SAPS performance, was not known.

General Mangwashi Phiyega, National Commissioner, SAPS,  agreed with the Chairperson that the issue of absenteeism was crucial. She said this omission was noted and it would be rectified; SAPS would revert with the figures.

The Chairperson insisted that the figure must be submitted to the Committee before the end of the day’s deliberations.

Mr Groenewald was also appalled at the idea that such an important issue as sick leave would have to be deferred. He concluded that if the head of Human Resources did not have such a figure at his finger tips, then there was a critical problem at the Department.

Lt Gen Mazibuko explained that the first reason for giving an employee sick leave was as a result of the general conditions of sickness, like flu. Secondly, the type of work carried out by members predisposed them to work-related trauma. The third reason related to issues of mental wellness or psychiatric treatments or disorders. It had been previously noticed that there was a higher level of sick leave by senior managers as compared to lower level workers.

The Chairperson interrupted, saying that Lt Gen Mazibuko was not answering to the point and emphasised that the delegation needed to be attentive to questions being asked. Line function managers should take note of the questions, and not expect the National Commissioner to answer the questions.

Lt Gen Mazibuko explained that the 54.2% was the percentage of all the workers from levels 3 to 5 who took sick leave in the reporting period. He was not sure whether there was a decrease or an increase of sick leave in the reporting period, but he could calculate it and get back to the Committee on it.

The Chairperson informed the SAPS delegation that this kind of information should have been included in the report. Only then could there be a proper assessment and a basis for comparison between the years.

Mr Groenewald again expressed his extreme disappointment with the head of Human Resources. He accused him of not being worried about the issue of sick leave. He informed the Department that, based on the information received, there was an increase of sick leave in the reporting year.

The Chairperson wanted to know how many workers presently were on sick leave for psychosocial reasons for an extended period of time.

Lt Gen Mazibuko replied that the information would have to be generated.

The Chairperson shocked him by saying that the information she demanded was in the SAPS Annual Report. It meant that he had not read through the annual report. 

Mr Groenewald wanted to know whether the incapacity leave was included in the sick leave figure.

Lt Gen Mazibuko responded that the incapacity leave was separate from the sick leave figure.

The Chairperson concluded that if the incapacity leave was not included in the sick leave, then the amount expended on the total sick leave would be around R1 billion. That was a very disturbing amount.

The Chairperson informed the National Commissioner that there should have been a positive answer because there had actually been a reduction in the cost of leave. She added that the Divisional Commissioners were underperforming. It seemed that some of them were going through the SAPS 2012/13 Annual Report for the first time today.

Mr M George (ANC) wanted to know what the difference was between suspended dismissal and disciplinary dismissal.

Lt Gen Mazibuko explained that suspended dismissal was a sanction frequently utilised in SAPS, but it had also been identified as one of the weaknesses in the management of discipline, because it would only be applicable for a period of six months, and during that time the individual must not be found guilty of a similar offence, otherwise a dismissal would follow.


Mr George asked why the legal costs were so high. Were they internal costs or external?

Gen Phiyega responded that the environment was very litigious and SAPS had effectively been empowered by the Constitution to deprive citizens of liberty, so how the powers were executed were very important.  One of the interventions she introduced into SAPS was the production of a monthly litigation report.    

Lt Gen J Molefe, Legal Officer, SAPS, said the concerns about cost were tenable. He added that this increase was to be expected for a while because people were gradually becoming aware of their rights. A tool had been introduced in the Department around behavioural matters and it covered the whole spectrum of legal costs: behaviour of employees, litigation or law suits and even claims. The issue of legal costs was of as much concern to the Department as to the Committee, and processes were being put in place to minimise those costs.

Mr Groenewald vehemently voiced his disagreement on the reasons given for the increase in legal costs. In his opinion, it was not a case of people becoming more aware of their rights, but a case of increased brutality by the police.

The Chairperson warned the Department to be careful of their responses, because Committee members or politicians only asked questions to which they already knew the answers. 

Lt Gen Molefe said that the increase in costs may be attributed by some to the increase in police brutality, but the reality on ground was that there was a rise in incidents.

Mr Groenewald reminded the National Commissioner that she promised two weeks ago to make a definite decision about Jackie Selebi, but no steps had been taken yet.

Gen Phiyega explained that on the issue of Jackie Selebi, there were ongoing negotiations with the lawyers.

The Chairperson demanded to know why the Inspectorate was not mentioned in the report. If the Inspectorate was still inexistence, she needed to know of their role.

Gen Phiyega agreed with the Chairperson that the Inspectorate, which had not been profiled, was a very important aspect of the police force. Since her appointment as National Commissioner, she had put in place few initiatives and interventions. Lt Gen Shabalala put together a turnaround strategy for the Inspectorate. This strategy had been presented to the National Management Forum and had been adopted. An audit process had been set up called a Combined Assurance. The strategies put in place were beginning to yield outcomes.
   
Lt Gen Shabalala added that the Inspectorate had experienced several challenges, one of which was responses or comments on the reports written. Management was beginning to take note of the reports given by the Inspectorate. The inspectorate staff, once given a task, were motivated and with the new and specific objectives the ship was being moved in the right direction.

The Chairperson asked the National Commissioner to provide a copy of the turnaround strategy.

Ms M Molebatsi (ANC) wondered why the ratio of personnel to vehicles was higher in the Free State.
           
Lt Gen L Krusen explained that all provinces had a better ratio in the FY reported. Management had approved the distribution of cars to various police stations, having introduced a mechanism for determining which of the stations had vehicle shortages.

Questions related to second session
Mr M George (COPE) commended Lt Gen Shabalala on his response. However, the issue of pocket books were still outstanding. These pocketbooks were not being used by the police officers, and he wondered about the cost implications.

Lt Gen Shabalala responded that during inspections, it had been established that some pocket books were not signed by the Commanders as required because members did not make entries into the pocket books. Questions had been raised on the quality of the entries made in the books, with some members just writing in the pocket books “duty on, duty off”, without giving details of their activities during the shift. Some entries were made six months apart. These issues were currently receiving Management’s attention. The pocket books were essential because the entries give an idea of how far a previous shift had gone.

Gen Phiyega gave an example of one station she had visited, where pocket books were properly kept and concluded that the effectiveness of the pocket books were highly dependent on the issue of leadership and management command. However, it was important that issues such as this were standardised, regularised and consistent in all stations.  

Lt Gen Arno Lamoer, Provincial Commissioner: Western Cape, SAPS, commented that about two years ago, there was a decline in the use of pocket books. Senior officers had been placed on standby on a week to week basis to visit the shifts and check the pocket books. There was already an improvement, not only on the quality of the entries in the pocket books but also in usage. The summary of work done during the month by each member would also be cross-checked. The diaries of the Commanders were checked to ensure that they were on the ground at such times.

Lt Gen Gary Kruser, Divisional Commissioner: Supply Chain, SAPS, said that the cost of each pocket book was R7.57 and the average consumption per annum was R361 000. Orders had been placed this year for 251 000 pocket books, at the cost of R1.8 million.

The Chairperson added that these issues raised were crucial to Committee members and the comments would be included in the Committee’s report. These issues will definitely be overseen when the Committee members resumed in the next year.

Mr George noted that 5 786 disciplinary actions were taken, out of which 1 625 were found not guilty, and he enquired what happened to the difference of 4 161.
                                                             
Mr V Ndlovu (IFP) repeated this question, asking if the remaining employees were found guilty, and on what offences.

Lt Gen Mazibuko said the table at point 11.2, on page 183 of the Annual Report, indicated all the types of sanctions that officers may utilise when dealing with disciplinary actions. The corrective counselling, dismissals, routine warnings, and not guilty findings were also indicated.

Mr George asked the National Commissioner whether the sanctions given were fair, just and consistent.

Lt Gen Mazibuko informed the Committee that there was a review of sanctions already ongoing, to standardise. An expedited process had been agreed upon, so that Management should be able to commence and finalise a case within ten days. Instead of going through an appeal authority, the case, if disputed, would go straight to arbitration, where it would be supervised by a third party intervention.

Ms Molebatsi wanted clarification about the issue of fines and if they varied from case to case.
 
Lt Gen Mazibuko replied that the fines were left at the discretion of the presiding officer. However, SAPS was looking into eradication of fines \ because it had been noticed that demanding a fine from an officer sometimes did not make a difference.

Gen Phiyega said that discipline was pivotal. Without discipline, there would be no effective policing. She assured the Committee that this issue was already being looked into.

The Chairperson added that the issue of the disciplinary actions had already been raised by the Union. In the majority of disciplinary cases the people involved were found not guilty, and these actions were seen as victimisation. It was also notable that the majority of these cases were against junior level staff.

Mr Ndlovu wanted to know whether a contingency fund had been set aside in case there was litigation against the Department on the Marikana issue.

Gen Phiyega explained that presently the Marikana issue was at Commission stage only, so no legal claims had been lodged. No contingency provisions have been made until the outcome had been received from the Commission.

The Chairperson clarified that the question was more related to the legal costs.

Gen Phiyega promised to follow up on the cost implications so far and report back to the Committee.

Lt Gen Molefe responded that the National Treasury had already been notified about the Marikana issue in case litigation did arise but no contingency had been set aside as yet.

Mr Ndlovu asked if the Department was challenging another case (name indistinct), and, if so, why, and if there was a contingency fund to that effect.
 
Gen Phiyega noted that no contingencies had been made. SAPS would be appealing on the issue of employee/employer relationship.

Mr Groenewald wanted a clarification on who was the decision maker on the continuation of the legal issue of in another case. Could the Department give the cost implication of the legal matters? He reiterated that it seemed that the Department was not bothered about taxpayers’ money being spent on such matters.

Lt Gen Molefe replied that at this time the total cost of this case was yet to be determined because it was an issue still in process. He could not give much information because the issue was not handled by the Department, but at an higher level.

The Chairperson said that the Department was ordered to pay the cost of the Social Justice Coalition and the Western Cape Government. What were the costs involved?

Lt Gen Molefe reiterated that the issue was being handled at an executive level; it had not reached the Department.

The Chairperson said that at some point, the costs would became public, therefore at the conclusion of the case, the National Commissioner was to forward the costs to the Committee.

The Chairperson queried the eleven Section 45 appointments that were made, asking the reason for making them, why they were based on this section, and the previous ranks of the appointees.

Lt Gen Mazibuko affirmed that the eleven appointments were indeed made according to Section 45. The first appointment was a Lieutenant General. As at the time of appointment, he had been an ICT consultant of over 20 years experience. Two pilots were appointed whilst they were sergeants, one was appointed a lieutenant and the other a warrant officer. One Constable was appointed as a Forensic Analyst and this appointment took place at the level of warrant officer. Five PhD holders were promoted: Three were captains, one was a warrant officer and one a lieutenant. They were promoted to Lt Colonels. One warrant officer was appointed in the Stock Theft Unit, at the level of a lieutenant. Lastly, there is one colonel, who was attached to the Presidential Protection Services as a National Commander, who was appointed on the level of a Brigadier.

The Chairperson wanted clarification on why it was necessary to use Section 45 to make the listed appointments.

Lt Gen Mazibuko replied that this was appropriate, because all involved appointment from a lower rank to a higher one and no advertisement was placed for such positions.

Mr George reminded the Committee and the delegation that this procedure was vulnerable to abuse. He asked why, for instance, the ICT consultant was not appointed initially and made to compete with other experts on the field, and why he was allowed first to consult, and then be appointed without the post being advertised.

The Chairperson also expressed her concerns on these appointments, reminding the delegation that such appointments should have been advertised, especially because there were obvious problems in the ICT sector of the Department. She reiterated that ICT skills were not scarce in South Africa and were even exported overseas. If an advertisement had been placed, a best-skilled IT specialists could have been employed. She demanded to know the criteria that would warrant this procedure being used.

Lt Gen Mazibuko replied that the utilisation of this procedure for appointments would be on an individual case basis. The Commander of an officer would submit a motivation on why the individual should be considered for a higher level without the post being advertised. Then the guidelines stated for those kinds of appointments would be followed. The content of the motivation would be considered, to determine whether this justified the appointment being made.

Gen Phiyega assured the Chairperson that due process was followed in making the appointments.
 
The Chairperson highlighted that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) had  indicated that there was a problem in SAPS where staff were not declaring their interests in companies with which the Department was doing business. What had been done to rectify such situation? In the meantime, she also wanted to know how the National Commissioner was dealing with declarations of interest.

Lt Gen Mazibuko replied that the current system was applicable throughout the public service, and the  Public Service Commission provided SAPS with the framework within which information was to be reported to that body, of people having interest in companies that were either dealing directly with the SAPS or with other departments. In the public service, declaration was voluntary. If an individual did not declare, it was necessary to come up with some other strategy for tracing business deals.  There was a system currently in place but it was yet to determine the status of a person’s registration with companies. Departments had been advised that such programmes should be procured so as to supplement the current systems.

The Chairperson made the point that the system was only as good as the people managing the system. The concern was getting the balance with the other existing systems.

Ms Molebatsi requested if the appointment of a Divisional Commissioner, as mentioned on page 174 of the SAPS 2012/13 Annual Report, was advertised. If it was, could there be some proof to back up the appointment?

Lt Gen Kruser noted, in reply to a question on marking of firearms, that 93.93% of the firearms had been marked as at the end of the reporting period. By the end of September 2013, 95.85% had been marked.

SAPS Programme 1: Human Resource Development: Briefing
Lt Gen Nobubele Mbekele, Divisional Commissioner: Human Resources (HR) Development, SAPS, gave the presentation. She highlighted the major achievements of the HR Development as follows:
-90% (129 387) of the members that attended training were declared competent.
-90% (5 045) of the total number of recruits were who were trained for the 2012/13 FY were found competent.
-95% (2 499) of the members involved in the Resolving of Crime Learning Programme and completed it were found competent.
-66% (870) of SAPS personnel with less than a Grade 9 qualification who enrolled for Adult Education and Training (AET) during the 2012/13 FY successfully completed their respective levels. 
-92% (973) learners who took part in the K53 Driver training programme were declared competent.
-A total of 87 employees successfully completed the Human Resource Management Learnership on NQF 5, whilst 96 employees from the SAPS, Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) and the South African Police Union (SAPU) successfully completed the Paralegal Learnership on NQF level 5.
-SAPS implemented the Techno Girl Programme, which had been adopted by the Department for Women, Children and Persons with disabilities. The programme was to enable girls from Grade 9 to 12 to consider scarce skills careers. A total of twenty Grade 9 girls from the rural schools in Gauteng had successfully attended this programme, which runs for a four year period.

Programme 1: Supply Chain Management Briefing
Lt Gen Kruser, Divisional Commissioner on Supply Chain Management, highlighted the major achievements of his division as follows:

-The compilation and distribution of pocket guides regarding the quotation procurement procedure to Supply Chain Management (SCM) practitioners.
-Finalisation of Issuing Criteria – Stations & Divisions.
-Delivery of new vehicles.
-The optimisation of garage accessibility.

Some of the challenges highlighted by the division were:
-The change of priorities in 2010 affected spending patterns.
-Lack of contingency plans.
-Non-performance from contractors.
-Lengthy procurement and litigation processes.

Some of the interventions introduced to the division were described as follows:
-Planning was divided into phases to ensure continuity of the building programme and better planning.
-Senior Management of SAPS allocated specific projects in order to monitor and expedite expenditure and progress.
-The reactivation of rural projects.
-Efficient management techniques of contractors by conducting regular engagement meeting.
-Extensive job creation through the direct appointment of local workers.  

Programme 1: Technology Management Services briefing
Lt Gen Solomon Ngubane, Divisional Commissioner on Technology Management Services, SAPS, gave the presentation. The achievements by the division for the 2012/13 FY were that it had :
-Replaced 943 Mobile connectivity Devices with new MAXIDs.
-Deployed Fingerprint Enrolment system to 18 Police Stations.
-Implemented a functional E-docket System at 64 Police Stations. There were currently 185 stations with functional e-docket systems.
-Provided real time enquires of stolen vehicles, firearms and missing or wanted persons.

The challenges encountered were:
-Delays in procurement contracts establishment.
-Validity and legal issues on current procurement contracts.
-Dependency on key stakeholders to provide resources.
-The cabling was a big disappointment because the contract was only put in place in February 2013, at the very end of the financial year, so that it was recorded that no cabling had been achieved.

A few of the interventions put in place were risk mitigation and control, re-planning for emergencies and project monitoring. In addition to these, all projects were assigned to a weekly/monthly TMS Project Review Committee, all outstanding tenders were signed off with procurement project plans with agreed time frames.

Programme 1: Inspectorate briefing
Lt Gen Sibusiso Shabalala gave the presentation on the Inspectorate. He emphasised that the two areas focussed on were Compliance with the regulatory framework, and service delivery. The targets were 736 inspections and 184 reports per quarter.

He highlighted the major achievements of the division as follows:
-923 inspections were made, exceeding the target of 736 inspections.
-1 125 reports were produced per quarter, also exceeding the 184 target.
-An average of 17 days was taken to register and refer a complaint to the relevant offices or line functionaries.
-A combined assurance approach was introduced to address service delivery at station level.
-Introduction of Project 54 that focused on improving poor performing police stations.
-Monitoring and evaluation of performance of police stations by senior management.
-Audits were conducted
-Information captured from stations that were performing excellently were circulated to poor performing stations.

Gen Phiyega stated that the Technology Management Services was of utmost importance to her. She had approached the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSRI) for advice of procurement of technological devices. She had also approached the new Director-General of State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to put in place a technology plan for SAPS. The first thing done was to prioritise the transversal programmes that SAPS was involved in, so as to unlock the value chain technology dependency. She was happy with the outcome so far. TETRA, as a Government solution, was also being explored.

Discussion
The Chairperson was surprised that not one single target was achieved. A few minutes back the Department informed the Committee that section 45 appointments were made to produce a difference, However, no tangible target was achieved. Billions of rand had been spent on SAPS in terms of both the Criminal Justice System (CJS) and Integrated Justice System (IJS), yet with nothing tangible to show for it. The 185 stations mentioned with e-dockets were merely computers and scanners. They had not been linked to the courts or the correctional services.

Questions related to Committee’s third session
Discussion
Ms D Sibiya (ANC) wanted to know why the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) for HR development was very low, and what had been done about the issue.

Ms D Chili (ANC) asked what was being done about the shortage of vehicles at the stations. She also asked what had been done to the old fleet of cars.

Lt Gen Kruser replied that information on how many vehicles were in each station, and how many kilometres had been clocked by every vehicle were requested. This information enabled the SAPS to check the state of the vehicles.

Ms Molebatsi asserted that the pace of e-docketing of police stations was very slow, and asked how the SAPS could accelerate it.

Mr Ndlovu asked how many police stations had implemented the e-docket, how many were outstanding and also wanted to know how long it would take for the outstanding ones to be completed.

Mr George asked how many police stations had been cabled and how many had not, and enquired about the cost implication for the remaining un-cabled police stations.

Mr George also wanted SAPS to expand upon what it meant by its inability to operate TETRA.

Lt Gen Ngubane responded that the target put in place for rolling out of the modules for the e-docketing system was April 2014. The roll out was, however, dependent on the readiness of the station. In relation to the cabling, the systems on the ground were updated. Presently, 3 500 sites were in place, out of which about 1 800 had been cabled. It was estimated that in two or three years, all the cabling would have been installed. The estimated cost was that if 1 000 sites were to be cabled this year, around R950 million would be spent. For this financial year, 197 police stations had been prioritized and the cabling projects had commenced.

The Chairperson reminded SAPS that the current FY would end in five months, and asked SAPS how it was then intending to achieve the 1 000 site target.    

Lt Gen Ngubane replied that this issue was one of the priority areas.

Gen Phiyega added that the cabling or the WIFI issue was of utmost importance. She said that a mixed module would be used because in some areas, the WIFI might work better than the cabling. Furthermore, SITA, towards the end of last year, identified people who would be able to offer the services in the various provinces and these competencies would be used in the next five months to achieve the intended target. The Department did not have fresh resources so it would instead execute all projects on a priority basis so that resources could be allocated to the cabling issue.

The Chairperson suggested that quarterly reports should be forwarded to the Committee on its implementation.

The Chairperson wanted to know whether there was any site in the Western Cape that had been connected to the court.

Lt Gen Ngubane replied that there were five stations with a functional e-docket system, one of which was the Cape Town Central, which had been connected to the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.

The Chairperson informed the Committee members that the Committee would walk across to Cape Town Central the following week, to verify these claims.

Lt Gen Ngubane went ahead to say that 943 Mobile Connectivity had been discontinued and a new terminal, known as MAXIDs, was being rolled out. The reason for the change was that the former device did not have memory so could not store information. This new device would be able to do number plate recognition, ID and finger print verification and camera for crime scene operations.  

The Chairperson interrupted, asking whether, if the initial device had been discontinued, the MAXIDs had been installed in all stations.

Lt Gen Ngubane replied in the negative. I 000 devices were purchased and they had been deployed per province.

The Chairperson interrupted a second time to ask whether the Commissioner knew the implication of the information he was giving. 943 Mobile Connectivity had been discontinued, therefore, in stations where the MAXIDs had not been installed, the most wanted criminals could not be identified.

Gen Phiyega said there was indeed a need to “go back to the drawing board” on this issue. The Department would certainly come back to the Committee on this matter. 

The Chairperson replied that her serious concern now was that the country was very vulnerable. She demanded to know how long it would take to roll out the device to the remaining stations.

Lt Gen Ngubane responded that the contract would be finalised in this FY and would be rolled out in the subsequent FY.

The Chairperson demanded to know when the former device was discontinued.

Lt Gen Ngubane said it was discontinued in 2011/12.

The Chairperson asked when the other device was discontinued in the Western Cape.

Lt Gen Ngubane could not give a specific date.

The Chairperson informed the National Commissioner that this was a most serious matter that needed a serious intervention. The most wanted criminals could be arrested in one station, but the rest of SAPS would still be allocating resources and manpower to arresting the same persons because the information could not be circulated.

Lt Gen Ngubane replied that TETRA was put in place with a Telkom connectivity to produce a radio link in the Eastern Cape. He added that this innovation was probably the first of its kind in the world. This would produce coverage in the Mthatha area.

The Chairperson asked what would happen if the cables were stolen. This would pose a security risk. She added that she was not satisfied with the answers given by the Commissioner. The Department should never have entered into the TETRA contract. She suggested that SAPS should simply  acknowledge this and stop the contract, cut the losses and get the right devices.

The Chairperson wanted to know whether at last SAPS had been able to get out of the licence agreement with Word Perfect. If the Department was out of the licence agreement, she asked how this had been achieved and what was the cost implication.

Lt Gen Ngubane replied that the Word Perfect was discontinued last year. There was no financial implication in this regard.

Mr Ndlovu wanted to know how many police officers had not passed matric.

Lt Gen Mbekele answered that there were currently 2 515 doing the Adult Education and Training courses, but this number may change because more people were still being employed.

Chairperson’s General observations
The Chairperson highlighted areas in which the Technology Management Services (TMS) either had underachieved or had no targets put in place. She needed clarification on why there was so much under-achievement in the report. She expressed her frustrations on the way the Department kept changing the format of its annual report. This made assessing, comparing and evaluation of the annual report over the years very difficult for Committee members. Furthermore, huge amounts were being spent of the IT sector and no improvement had been seen. It was very disturbing that, eleven years after the inception of the e-docket system, the Department was bold enough to present to the Committee that 185 stations had been completed. At the pace the Department was going with the e-docketing of the police stations, it might take 50 years to cover all the police stations in the country.
 
She demanded to know why the Department was still going on the route of cabling, when it could use  WIFI, which was cheaper, faster and even quicker in instalment. An intervention was urgently needed in this sector of the Department.

Major General M Menziwe replied that the Annual Report format used followed the guideline given by the National Treasury for the 2012/13 FY. On the tables, the figures for 2010 – 2014 were considered. In some of the years, targets were not set for projects, and that was why they reflected no target.

Gen Phiyega added that in the future, only those projects with specific targets would be recorded so that wrong information was not presented. Footnotes would also be added to explain what was done.

Summary on submissions: Programme 1
The Chairperson gave a brief summary of what the Committee had adduced, from the submissions made in relation to Programme 1. They were:

-SAPS needed to find a better system of management of sick leave given to employees.
-A copy of the Turnaround Strategy must be submitted to the Committee.
-The 2012 Disciplinary Code must be promulgated and signed by the Minister.
-The Inspectorate must follow up on the declaration of staff members in business.
-In future, ranks should be included in the disciplinary case tables as well as the type of cases that warranted a disciplinary action.
-SAPS must stick to a consistent format for the Annual report. This would aid comparison between the years.
-A full list of stations that have a functional e-docket linked to the functional courts should be submitted to the Committee.
-Quarterly reports on the implementation of the e-dockets must be sent to the Committee
-The Committee congratulated and encouraged the National Commissioner with regards to the educational qualification and the involvement of police members in business. This information should be explicitly declared in the Annual Reports.
-The TMS were of great concern to the Committee. The issue of TETRA should be clarified. The National Commissioner should intervene with this.
-SAPS must report on what was being done to address these security issues?

Fourth  Session
Programme 2: Visible Policing briefing
Lt Gen Stefan Schutte, Divisional Commissioner, Financial and Administrative Services, SAPS, gave the first part of the presentation. He said that the purpose of Programme 2 was to enable police stations to institute and preserve safety and security, provide for specialised interventions and the policing of South Africa’s borders. The main strategic objective of this programme was to discourage all crimes by providing proactive and responsive policing services that would reduce levels of priority crimes. The Visible Policing Programme (VPP) was comprised of: Crime Prevention, Border Security and Specialised Intervention. Crime Prevention spent 99.5% (R25 555 977), Border Security spent 98.2% (R1 467 307) and Specialised Intervention 107.7% (R2 503 772).

Lt Gen K Sitole, Provincial Commissioner, Free State, presented the main body of the presentation. He highlighted the performance indicators and actual achievements for 2011/12, planned targets, actual achievements and deviation from planned targets to actual achievements for the 2012/13 FY.

The actual achievements were that, taken overall, serious crime decreased from 1 839 645 reported crimes to 1 825 548 reported crimes in 2011/12, compared to the same period in 2010/11, which was a marginal decrease of -0.8%. For the 2012/13 FY, there was a further increase of 0.5% from 1 825 548 to 1 833 775. The overall ratio decreased by 2.8%.

Contact crime decreased from 638 468 reported crimes  in 2010/11 to 623 486 reported crimes in 2011/12, a decrease of -2.3%. there was then a further decrease to 617 239 in 2012/2013 FY. The overall ratio decreased by 4.2%.

Trio crimes (murder, robbery and housebreaking) crime increased from 42 183 reported crimes in 2010/11 to 42 192 reported crimes in 2011/12, and then to 44 317 in the 2012/13 year, an increase of 5%. The overall ratio increased by 1.6%.

8 744 stolen/lost firearms with serial numbers which could be linked to firearm owners in SA were recovered in 2011/12, as compared to 9 105 firearms that were circulated as stolen or lost during the 201/11. This represented a recovery rate of 96%. 12 982 stolen/lost firearms with serial numbers which could be linked to firearm owners in SA were recovered in 2012/13, which was a recovery rate of  104.9% compared to the previous year.

30 437 stolen/robbed vehicles were recovered, in relation to 66 572 vehicles that were circulated as stolen or robbed during the same period. This represented a recovery rate of 45.7%. There were 810 escape incidents in 2011/12, and this then decreased by 11.6% in 2012/13, to 716.

 The average reaction time for Alpha complaints (serious complaints in progress) was 19.06 minutes in 2011/12 and 18.46 minutes in 2012/13. For Bravo complaints (serious complaints that had already occurred) the average reaction time was 24.05 minutes in 2011/12 and 22.28 minutes in 2012/13. For Charlie complaints (other complaints) the average reaction time was  21.27 minutes in 2011/12 and 20.46 minutes in 2012/13.

The major achievements recorded were:
-A reduction of 10, down to 17 community-reported serious crimes,
-A decrease of killing of police members on duty by 23.7% (29 people) during the 2012/13 FY, compared to the 38 members killed on duty in the 2011/12 FY,
-More than 1.8 million litres of liquor were confiscated and 74 547 illegal premises were closed down,
-206 825 cases relating to drugs were detected by the police during the 2012/13 FY.
-The following drugs were confiscated: 196 181 207kg of cannabis, 108 752 mandrax, 347 860kg crystal meth (tik-tik) and 145 560kg cocaine.

96.37% of the target for Sector Policing was achieved. This meant that 1 090 police stations, out of a total of 1 131, had implemented Sector Policing. 41 stations, (all in rural areas) were yet to implement.

There was an 11.6% reduction of escape incidents from police custody in 2012/13 when compared to 2011/12, and there was reduction of 8.43% in the number of escaped persons in 2012/13 compared to 2011/12.

Visible Policing developed a multi-year plan for the establishment of additional Victim Friendly Services (VFSs) at Police Stations. The 56 VFSs that were part of the planned procurement process was not established, as the appointed service provider could not deliver according to the contract. The contract was terminated and a new tender process was initiated.

The major achievements of Border Security were:
-Value of narcotics seized totalled R612 567 821
-Total numbers of vehicles stolen and recovered were 268 vehicles and 276 arrests
-89 Firearms were recovered and 108 arrests made.

The achievements of Specialized Interventions were tracking and confiscating  42 firearms, 9 magazines, 335 ammunition, 126 motor vehicles and 12 packets of “tik”.

Major Gen Susan Pienaar presented the Audit of Predetermined Objectives 2012/13 of SAPS numbers 1-3.

Lt Gen Elias Mawela, Divisional Commissioner: Operational Response Services, SAPS, presented the Audit of Predetermined Objectives 2012/13 of SAPS number 4.

Major Gen B Luke presented the “Audit of Predetermined Objectives 2012/13 of SAPS number 5.

Discussion
The Chairperson reminded the delegation of its presentation last year where complaints had been made that the books were not well kept. The Department had acknowledged that the books were not consistent and could create opportunity for corruption. There was a commitment by the Department to rectify these issues as a matter of urgency. She asked what had done about those issues that needed to be rectified.

Ms Molebatsi wanted an explanation on the 44% firearms application that could not be confirmed.

The Chairperson agreed that the 44% firearms application was disturbing. She pointed out that many of the issues arising had to do with the issue of TMS.

A delegate responded that the SAPS was unable to produce 78 applications to the AG because of its large archives which contained more than 5 million documents

Ms Sibiya asked what Department was doing to minimise the number of illegal arrests of foreigners.

Another officer replied that illegal foreigners were arrested when they did not have relevant papers or no papers at all.

Ms Sibiya wanted an explanation of the difference between a police action and crime prevention preparation.

Mr George stated that, based on an authentic informant, he knew that the police used “the wrong population to make the right statistics”. As a result, some of its results were not accurate. He asked about the current situation with domestic violence.

Lt Gen Lamoer said that last year, a new innovation was introduced to curb domestic violence. The 16 Days of Activism and road shows were used as a machinery to stop domestic violence. 56 000 cases of domestic violence were recorded in the Western Cape last year. This intervention improved the understanding of domestic violence at the provincial level, which must be fortified by continual training, continual adherence, monitoring, implementation and compliance.

Mr Groenewald pointed out the figures on page 80, at table 16, which indicated that a large number firearms were confiscated, and asked if there was a war going on in the Free State.

A Member of the delegation responded that this was an error. The number recorded there related to inspections, since 2 155 firearms were inspected. Only 20 firearms were confiscated in Free State.

Mr Ndlovu was interested in the issue of escapes from police custody, asking if this was due to challenges with SAPS, or whether there was lack of infrastructure. He asked if any person had been prosecuted for any negligent act of allowing an escape. 

The Chairperson said she was not sure that the interventions introduced were working. No target was achieved. It meant that the achievement of the five targets was questioned. There was also no consequence for lack of performance. Targets were met by keeping people accountable.

Gen Phiyega promised to document all the interventions and submit them to the Committee. She added that she had started seeing a different approach, which had not been seen before, which hopefully would bring tangible changes in the next few years.

A member of the delegation replied that when an individual was caught with a mixture of drugs, it would taken to the forensic laboratory, to test the constituents. Only the illegal constituents such as heroin would result in charges being laid.

The Chairperson promised to entertain more questions tomorrow and said she would summarise Programme 2 and the decisions made the next day.

The meeting was adjourned.