Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, members of the House, Acting National Commissioner of Police, Secretary of Police, Executive Director of the IPID and senior management of the SAPS, policing consists of three broad but key sets of activities: visibility and patrol through visible policing programmes, crowd management, and investigation.
Investigation is conducted by detectives. It is generally agreed that investigation is central to the management of crime. If the investigation of crime fails and the perception exists that criminals go unpunished, it cannot be expected that police will be able to reduce crime or that the social processes that can impact on crime will do so positively.
Minister, you have declared this year the Year of the Detective and we want to support that. It is a strong belief of the ANC that while we have grown the numbers of the SAPS over the last couple of years, we have not been giving adequate attention to the numbers of challenges of the detective environment, the Criminal Record Centre and Forensic Science Laboratory in the same way.
When one looks at the budget allocation for detectives, it is clear that this intention is reflected in the Budget as well. The overall programme, Programme 3, increased from R11,96 billion to R13,16 billion in the 2012-13 financial year. The budget for the detectives increased by R1 billion from R7,5 billion to R8,6 billion. The Criminal Record Centre's budget increased from R1,34 billion to R1,51 billion in this financial year.
The hon Chikunga has dealt with the Forensic Science Laboratory and I am not going to repeat it here.
Provision has also been made for a significant increase in the allocation to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation -the Hawks. The budget of the Hawks increases from R1,05 billion to R1,23 billion in this financial year. Hon Minister, we need to ensure that the increases are spent where they will have the greatest impact on improving the performance of the detectives and as such contribute to further bringing down the crime figures in South Africa. In the detective environment the increase will be used not only to further increase the number of detectives, but also to provide detectives with the required training. An amount will also be dedicated to improving the performance of the Stock Theft Unit. The ANC supports this initiative wholeheartedly. Stock theft leaves subsistence farmers in ruin and can be devastating to commercial farmers. Every effort to improve the functioning of these units should be supported.
Hon Minister, the granted number of detectives in the SAPS is 19 537. The actual number of detectives is 20 985. For a number of years now we have indicated that we need to establish what the ideal number of detectives is supposed to be. For the first time this year we were provided with a figure of 26 736. Clearly, we still have a long road to travel before we get to that point, but now at least we have a target to work towards. The ANC will closely monitor the progress made in reaching this goal.
However, if one starts taking a closer look at the number of detectives in the SAPS, an interesting picture emerges. The Auditor-General reported in 2000 that in 1998 there were 22 034 detectives - more than we have currently. However, in the early 1990s and late 1980s there were in the region of only 7 000 detectives. At some point during the years that followed uniformed members investigating traffic offences were also counted as detectives. This may explain why we still have older detectives at station level who have not been properly or fully trained as detectives.
Of further interest, if one takes a closer look at the numbers, it becomes clear that, in fact, since 1998 there has not been significant growth in the detective environment - in reality there was a decline in figures. It raises the question as to whether the detective environment over the past decade has been taken seriously by SAPS management?
Too often, when we visit police stations on our oversight visits, we find detectives at a station carrying 60 to 90 cases, but not being trained at all. What is more, one will find group commanders who have not been fully trained either. But I believe the most worrying aspect of this is the fact that often branch commanders are at stations without having undergone the required training, neither as detectives, nor as managers. Now, I do not see how one can expect a team of detectives to perform optimally if they are not fully equipped to do the job. Furthermore, these group and branch commanders are expected to lead and mentor other investigators while they themselves are still in need of further training.
This reality brings us back to the basic issue of appointments being made that are fit for purpose and within properly executed career pathing. The ANC has long argued that proper career pathing in the SAPS exists only in the minds of some people within SAPS and in a file or files gathering dust on a shelf somewhere in headquarters. This not only plays itself out in the detective environment, but manifests itself in the issue of promotion, which was addressed by the hon Chikunga in her speech. If proper career pathing did exist, every single police member would know what was required of them in order to move up in the organisation.
Hon Minister, you have indicated to us the training of detectives that will take place this year. It is welcomed, but it still does not provide us with a clear plan on how the department will go about reaching its ideal number of detectives. We do not want to see a repetition of simply chasing numbers without the required training and the correct people for the job.
The status of detectives - they are considered to be of low prestige within the SAPS - is often indicated by former detectives who leave the service for the private sector as one of the reasons why they have left. In fact, many have indicated that financially they were no better off outside the SAPS. Over many years the SAPS has also lost detectives to the uniformed branches of the police, because that became the only option for upward mobility.
In the Year of the Detective, this is something that we need to address in a focused and dedicated manner. Detective retention becomes extremely important, not only in ensuring that we retain well-qualified, experienced detectives, but also because the loss of skills means fewer mentors for new detectives. It impacts on teamwork and adds to the workload of those experienced detectives who remain behind. As far back as August 2004 the Detective Services Division requested Career Management in the SAPS to investigate the possibility of developing a career path for detectives. Subsequently, a number of events took place that led to a Draft Policy for Detectives' Career Path. However, since 2006 the issue has died a silent death.
Hon Minister, this committee - and, in fact, this Parliament, the Auditor- General's Office, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department Correctional Services, as well as the legal fraternity and, more importantly, you yourself - have raised issues pertaining to a skills development programme plan to address the following: poor statement taking, empowering investigators, the retention of experienced detectives, the high volumes of dockets per detective, the delays in investigations, the high withdrawal rate in court, the overcrowding of not only our prisons, but also our police cells by awaiting-trial detainees, and the low conviction rates.
Hon Minister, the existing draft plan deals with these. It was developed in the SAPS, contextualising South Africa's unique needs and requirements. It creates horizontal and vertical mobility within the detective service. The strategy addresses the following: the retention of expert skills required in the detective environment; improving the skills levels and competency of all investigators; improving service delivery in the detective environment; linking the career path to remuneration; recognising that careers are more likely to develop within homogeneous levels of responsibility rather than by progressing up a number of steps; and providing the opportunity for detective managers to return to the operational field.
This plan takes the Detective Services out of the 20th century and into the 21st century. It is progressive in nature and it deals with so many of the burning issues and questions in a comprehensive, well thought through and innovative way. I would like to request you as the Minister of Police to intervene in this matter. In the Year of the Detective, declared so by yourself, ask the department to present this plan to you. Also ask them to explain why no attention has been given to its implementation in the SAPS since 2006.
The ANC welcomes the inclusion of conviction rates for detectives. Furthermore, we welcome the alignment of these conviction rates in the way that it is done in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. This is an important improvement and will allow us to have a better idea of the success of the criminal justice system across the various departments. We believe, however, that we still have far too many cases that are closed as "undetected" over a year. The management of the detective unit should find out what the reasons for this are and find solutions to the problem.
Furthermore, we should note that if we seriously want to bring down the crime figures in South Africa, this cannot be done without crime prevention playing a strong role. Prevention will result in fewer cases and will bring down the number of dockets per detective, so as to achieve a better rate of conviction. We must also ensure that detectives at all levels of the SAPS are busy with their primary task, namely that of investigation, and that they are not being used by station commissioners to chase arrest rates.
The Criminal Record Centre receives a considerable chunk of the increase in this environment. Apart from the increase in the budget, they receive a further R317 million from the earmarked funds from the criminal justice revamp. This should be used by the CRC to modernise the procedures for updating the records of offenders across the criminal justice system.
The ANC believes that the integration of the criminal justice system is not progressing as it should be. Over the years billions of rands have been spent for that purpose, but technologically speaking we are not much closer to an integrated information system. You addressed this issue, hon Minister, when you said you had asked the Hawks to look at this matter. The ANC will closely monitor the progress made in this regard during this financial year.
Between the Criminal Record Centre, the FSL and police stations, we also want to see a marked improvement in the way they deal with SAPS 13, evidence stores, as they are called. The lack of adherence to processes and procedures can lead to seriously compromising the chain of evidence when presented in court.
As far as Crime Intelligence is concerned, in its open funds the programme receives a nominal increase. The ANC remains concerned about the way crime intelligence officers are used at station level. Too often they are used as secretaries for meetings or to compile a station's statistics on behalf of station management. We believe they should be utilised and play a central role in providing stations with information regarding the prevention of crime and also in investigation. It seems that the value of good intelligence information is not understood.
A further issue that the ANC believes needs attention is a proper value measurement of intelligence reports. It exists in other departments. What do the 28 145 intelligence reports, which are the performance target for this year, mean? Are these written or oral reports? Are they one-liners? How does the SAPS know that those reports contribute to either the prevention of crime or the arrest of suspects? A proper measurement tool would empower the SAPS management not only to manage this environment better, but also to enable the importance of quality intelligence reports in the fight against crime to be understood - not only after it has happened but, more importantly, in preventing it from happening. In this regard we just need to look at the number of public protests that have occurred and the SAPS's seemingly being caught unaware of and unprepared for such protests. If crime intelligence were functioning fully and effectively, that would be the exception, not the rule.
Finally, hon Minister, I want to get to the Civilian Secretariat for Police. This is the last year that the secretariat will be a cost centre of the SAPS, and we welcome that. The secretariat's budget for the financial year is R63,27 million. As the secretariat is a personnel-intensive organisation, R45,5 million of the funds will go to the personnel budget, while R17,77 million will be spent on the operational budget.
As of next year the secretariat will be a designated department. The secretariat is in the process of filling the positions that were created as a result of its becoming a designated department.
We are expecting much more from the secretariat in the years ahead. We can never allow the Civilian Secretariat for Police to regress to the state it was in. This responsibility does not rest only on the incumbent, but on every single person in the secretariat. The Civilian Secretariat for Police represents the citizen's interest in the SAPS. We are expecting them to contribute in a scientific and professional manner to the policies and procedures of the SAPS so that it positively impacts on the overall fight against crime. We expect the secretariat to be that organisation whose point of view cannot be ignored, because of the value that it should add to the debate.
When in the committee, we deal with the SAPS budget. Next year we want to be able to call the secretariat and ask them: Do you believe the budget is addressing the priorities as set out in the policy? We want to know that the work and findings of the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in the secretariat are making a difference in the service delivery of the SAPS and are not just gathering dust on a shelf.
We are also looking forward to their, through the Minister, tabling the review of the White Paper on the police so that we can at last start with the complete redrafting of the SAPS Act, which is still to a large extent based on the interim Constitution.
Chairperson and hon Minister, in this House we have a choice. It is actually a very simple choice, but also one that, depending on your outlook in life, can be very challenging. The choice is whether I, and you, want to be part of the solution or whether we simply prefer to add to the challenge by howling and repeating the same accusations, personal insults and empty rhetoric, albeit in the form of sound bites. We in the ANC have made our choice. Our choice is to roll up our sleeves, to put our hands in the dishwater and to start dealing with the dirty dishes. [Applause.] [Interjections.] We do not choose to stand in the corner of the kitchen and shout and scream abuse at the dirty dishes, hoping they will sort themselves out. [Laughter.]
On 17 April 2012, when the Portfolio Committee on Police started its Budget hearings with the department, the chairperson, the hon Chikunga, provided the committee with the opportunity to engage the department on the issues of the head of Crime Intelligence, the provincial head of the Hawks in KZN and the Cato Manor issue. Members had the opportunity to put questions to the department and the department responded. At the end of the response of the department, the hon chairperson provided each political party on the committee with the opportunity to make a statement.
On behalf of the ANC, I responded by saying that no one person or organisation was above the rule of law and that we believed the continuous negative reports on senior police officers were bad for morale in the SAPS and caused the public trust in the Police to deteriorate. I said that we in the ANC wanted all accusations to be investigated without fear or favour. The ANC would like to see that all of these allegations are fully and thoroughly investigated, that if anyone has a case to answer for, they will be brought before a court of law - not a kangaroo court.
Interestingly enough, every single political party, with the exception of the DA, agreed with these sentiments. When the opportunity was presented to them to make a statement, the hon Kohler-Barnard responded that she was not asking to say anything. Why is this? Why is it that when the surname of a suspect is Booysen, Meyer, Terreblanche or Van Niekerk, the hon member will be quiet and not say a word - she won't even ask a question! But when the surname is Shabangu, Mdluli or Lazarus, the member will be the first, the loudest and the most persistent? [Interjections.]
HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear!