Deputy Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MECs, hon members, last month our country celebrated Youth Month. We did this in part to preserve the memory of the June 16, 1976 events, and also as an act of reaffirmation of our commitment to the struggle for the eradication of the socioeconomic legacy of apartheid. The youth of our country is our present and our future. It has played a fundamental role in moulding the present South Africa.
Twenty years ago, some of the Rivonia trialists, amongst them Walter Sisulu, Wilton Mkwayi, Elias Motswaledi and Raymond Mhlaba, were released. Their major sin was to fight to realise a South Africa which belongs to all who live in it, black and white.
The ANC government remains unshakable in its commitment to working together with the people of our land to improve the quality of life of all South Africans, fully appreciative of the stubborn legacy of colonialism and apartheid. The struggle to realise the kind of society enshrined in our Constitution and the Freedom Charter continues.
The fight against crime is part of an integrated approach in the effort to accomplish the goal of a better life for all. An improved quality of life also means better and improved conditions of safety and security of the people in their homes, communities, workplaces and places of entertainment.
To facilitate the process of realising the objectives of the revamp of the criminal justice system, various interventions will be made. The SAPS personnel will increase from 183 180 to 204 860 over the next three years.
As the capacity of the SAPS continues to improve across the whole spectrum, more focus will be placed on increasing the numbers of the visible policing officers, detectives and crime intelligence.
This year alone, the number of detectives will increase by more than 19%. More than 12 928 persons are undergoing detective-related training this year, and this programme is already under way. The importance of scientific evidence has become essential in the investigation of cases. Accordingly, we shall increase the capacity of the Forensic Science Laboratories, with additional funding of R150 million for the 2008-09 period and a further R50 million per year for the 2011-12 financial year.
An implementation plan for the full utilisation of the DNA Automated Fingerprint Identification System, AFIS, facial and iris recognition will be developed by 31 October 2009. In policing, intelligence should act as a nerve centre. Intelligence has a crucial role to play in all aspects of policing.
The need to revitalise the intelligence component of the SAPS and the integration of intelligence into all aspects of policing is a priority. In order to improve our capacity to provide technical support for investigations and crime prevention operations, we are going to increase police intelligence personnel as well as the associated operational expenditures.
The scourge of serious and violent crime remains one of the major concerns of government and all the people of our land. The kind of violence that frequently accompanies business and house robberies, as well as car hijackings, can only be committed by people who have lost all sense of their humanity. We are not going to allow criminals to prevent us from fulfilling our historical goal of improving the equality of life of all citizens.
Part of the effort in launching the challenge in this regard is going to be about bringing stability to the Crime Intelligence Division, through appointing a permanent head for this division this month. There are over 1 000 vacant posts in this division. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. Therefore, we shall work to ensure that these posts are filled as a matter of urgency. We shall also prioritise training programmes.
Furthermore, we are going to deepen the partnership with communities. Currently, out of the 1 116 police stations, 95% of these have community policing forums. This kind of progress is commendable. We must express our gratitude to community patrollers and the youth who have committed themselves to the service of our country. This is one area where we expect the implementation of a national youth service as a living example that the youth of today are not only interested in crass materialism.
Furthermore, to strengthen the fight against serious and violent crimes, we are going to table some legislative interventions. In particular, we are proposing some amendments to section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act. We must hasten to say that trigger-happy members must not think that this is a licence to kill. It is a measure aimed specifically at dealing with serious violent crime and dangerous criminals.
In engaging serious and violent crime, we are in discussions with other cluster Ministries such as Defence and Military Veterans, State Security and others. The continued incidents of cash-in-transit heists remain a matter of vital concern to the government.
While the financial losses may have declined, the threat posed to the public, where heavily-armed criminals conduct heists in public spaces, requires interventions. The Ministry is currently looking at a number of different approaches to address this problem.
The Cash Risk Management Forum has been set up under the chairpersonship of the Reserve Bank. This crime forum includes a number of key business role-players who are directly involved in cash management. The department will need to do more and be active to engage with the forum and the CIT industries.
Street robberies constitute between 70% to 80% of crime figures. Many of these incidents are not reported as they take place in poor and underdeveloped areas. A greater part of youth involvement will focus on this area.
The President has highlighted the need to upscale the effort to deal with crimes perpetrated against women and children. We are going to ensure that current measures are vigorously implemented. In addition, our view is that we will review the decision to close specialised units. The closure of these units has led to significant debate regarding the need for certain types of crimes to be addressed by people with specialised knowledge and experience.
Furthermore, we are going to table amendments to section 26 of the Criminal Procedure Act. The Ministry of Justice and ours are seized with this matter.
The SAPS has developed the Corruption and Fraud Prevention Plan. The plan aims at educating employees and the public about the nature and consequences of corrupt practices. Processes aimed at the full establishment of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation are progressing as planned. The unit will be fully functional on the fixed date of the 6th, this month. The establishment of this unit will enhance our capacity to prevent, combat and investigate national priority crimes.
Members will remember that the head of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, DPCI, Commissioner A Dramat, was appointed last month and 51 members of the former Directorate of Special Operations, otherwise known as the Scorpions, have already joined the new unit. A further 227 will join the unit on 6 July 2009. Altogether, 1 700 members have undergone security clearance processes and are ready to ensure that the unit hits the ground running. The unit will have a presence in all provinces.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those members of the DSO who have agreed to join the DPCI. We thank them for again deciding to join hands with government and the people of our country in the fight against crime. [Applause.] Their presence in the newly formed DPCI will ensure continuity. They indeed acted as true patriots. We have full confidence in Commissioner Dramat and are certain that he will be more than equal to the task at hand.
Failure to meet performance targets raises the question of the relationship between current performance management processes and set targets and priorities. It is important that there is greater accountability for failure to meet targets. If a police station is identified to be in a high crime incidence area and resources are allocated to that station, it should follow that subsequent failure ought to result in action being taken against its management.
We are seeking legal advice on the matter of willy-nilly concluding four to five-year contracts with commissioners without giving due regard to performance. What is clear is that to address these challenges it cannot be business as usual. As the President stated, we need to see real operational energy in police work. We will, within a month, have a permanent national commissioner. The national commissioner will certainly have his work cut out to ensure accountability, co-ordination and consistent and effective communication.
The issue of rural safety is going to receive dedicated attention. There's a tendency for criminals to seek refuge in these areas when the situation gets too hot in urban areas and towns.
Bazosifica sikhona. [They'll find us there.]
The first permanent intake of reservists in June-July 2009 will involve 1 100 reservists spread across all the nine provinces. These reservists will have to undergo proper training before they are deployed. The reservists will also be required to meet the standard selection criteria.
The war against crime must be taken to a new level. The time for indifference, inefficiencies and lethargy is over, and everything we do must and will be performance driven. The time for rewarding excellence is now.
May I take this opportunity again to applaud the work done by the Local Organising Committee, LOC, particularly the work done by the Department of Sport and Recreation, Mr Nyauza. Thank you very much. [Applause.]