Madam Chairperson, the Ministry has prioritised a number of elements in the National Development Plan, NDP, for implementation in the 2015-16 financial year, as reflected in the 2015-16 Annual Performance Plan, APP, that will be tabled here in Parliament during this month.
Among other things, we are emphasising the four pillars of the National Development Plan. The first one is the strengthening of the criminal justice system, which essentially is about the creation of justice co- ordination structures at provincial and local government level. The second area of emphasis is on operationalising the community outreach programmes at the level of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster, JCPS, as well as the capacity-building of community safety and policing forums.
The second pillar talks to the professionalisation of the Police Service. In this regard, we are looking at establishing relations with research and academic institutions to develop change and transformation programmes as well as marketing campaigns.
The third pillar is the demilitarisation of the SA Police Service, SAPS. In this regard, we are looking at the development of self-discipline and leadership programmes as well as levels of training and equipment that will capacitate and enable the police to deal with issues of public policing.
This area is about the recapacitation of public-order policing as well as advocacy campaigns on the Police Code of Conduct. The fourth pillar is building safety, using an integrated approach and in this regard, again, we are emphasising the question of community outreach programmes with a specific focus on crime hotspots and crime areas.
A second aspect, of course, is to partner with sister departments such as the Department of Social Development and the Department of Home Affairs, the business sector and other community-based organisations. Largely, it is an effort to increase police presence and visibility as well as programmes to enhance the safety of marginalised and vulnerable groups. Thank you very much.