Date: 11/09/2000
Source: MINISTRY FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY
Title: TSHWETE: PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA BRIEFING, SEPTEMBER 2000
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MEDIA BRIEFING BY THE MINISTER FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, STEVE TSHWETE, AT THE GCIS PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING WEEK, 11 September 2000

Members of the national and foreign media, ambassadors and other dignitaries.

We begin our presentation by giving you an idea of what the security situation looks like in Cape Town and what we, as a department, working hand-in-glove with other State security organs, are doing to eliminate, once and for all, the terrorist campaign that continues to plague this city. Thereafter we shall proceed to oblige you with an assessment of the crime situation in the whole country, and what strategies we have put in place to bring the crime levels down.

We concede readily that the public outcry about the perceived inability of the entire security establishment to arrest these rogues is justifiable. At the same time we would like to appeal to all and sundry, particularly politicians and other opinion makers, to help create a more conducive climate in which the police and other security organs can work without having to endure the pain of a barrage of abuse and insults.

The Police Service is on top of the situation and it is not long before total normality is restored to this City. Deployed right now are:

* highly skilled investigation teams, bolstered by expert detectives from other provinces;

* Forensic, ballistic, DNA, explosives and fingerprint experts;

* NIA and Scorpions operatives; and

* ready assistance and advice from intelligence agencies from our friends abroad, including the FBI and Scotland Yard.

The highly-skilled investigation teams in place act on the intelligence made available, build cases against the suspects and effect arrests.

The information gathered is analysed by intelligence analysts, interpreted and translated into tactical intelligence which is utilised for the profiling of targets, made available to investigation teams as court directed intelligence, and used in the planning of high density and special counter operations.

In support of our intelligence and investigations we have various units in place to render the more visible actions such as high density patrols, cordon and search operations, roadblocks, counter operations and quick reaction duties. Such duties are performed in pre-identified areas. This is further strengthened with random special operations in selected areas.

We have extended our broad approach further through enhanced protection duties in relation to identified officials and premises, including special arrangements for the hearing of terror-related court cases which will be held at the Pollsmoor Prison Special Court.

In addition more forces from other parts of the country are being deployed to enhance our operational capacity.

With this operational strategy firmly in place we will be able to build on the successes already scored. Right now 42 suspects have been convicted to date in connection with urban violence related cases in the Western Cape. 78 related cases are currently before court and 58 suspects are in custody, whilst a further 20 suspects are out on bail.

Looking at the broader crime situation we can hail Operation Crackdown in particular as a huge success and we can state that, in general, the SAPS is getting on top of the situation.

In the Gauteng area serious crime has decreased by 10%, largely through our focus in specifically the Johannesburg area. In addition to our successes in the Gauteng area we have recorded significant improvement in the identified high crime areas of the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape.

The arrest of approximately 260 000 suspects, the seizure of 8 377 illegal firearms and the recovery of 8 886 stolen vehicles since the start of our operations during the early months of this year has, of course, also contributed to the stabilisation of the overall crime levels.

Drug-related crimes have shown an increase of 19%. This is, however, a positive sign as we are succeeding in clamping down on other crimes which, according to the CSIR, the Institute for Security Studies and the Medical Research Council, are being committed as a result of the perpetrator's abuse of drugs. This increase is also a sign that the organised and geographical approaches have led to an increase in the effective detection of these crimes.

Overall, cases of murder, attempted murder, arson, theft of motor vehicles, stock theft and burglaries at business premises have declined.

Ladies and gentlemen

We remain concerned, however, about the incidence of domestic violence and crimes against women and children. While the increase in reported cases of domestic violence should demand more attention from SAPS, we would like to believe that it is not the exclusive terrain of the Police.

In addition to pursuing various methods of detection, prevention and investigation to reduce crimes against women and children, the SAPS has implemented various programmes and achieved positive results:

* From January to June 2000 the Child Protection Units and Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units effected 7688 arrests in respect of cases committed against children under the age of 18 years:

* In one month the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units (FCS) in Bloemfontein alone managed to secure 487 years of collective imprisonment in 33 cases, and in Rustenburg alone managed to secure 137 years of collective imprisonment in 11 cases.

* In 158 rural areas across the country we have already positioned specialised individuals to deal with crimes against women and children.

* The SAPS has already completed its proposals in terms of amending the Films and Publication Act, 1996 aimed at closing the loopholes with regard to child pornography cases.

The SAPS Victim Empowerment Training Programme, which aims to sensitise and train functional police members (who interact with victims during the reporting and investigation of crime), regarding the professional handling and sensitive treatment of victims, commenced in June 2000.

The training programme, accredited by SAPS National Training, will be implemented over a three-year period. Two thousand of the 30 000 members to be trained in the 2000/2001 financial year have already received training. R1 million has been allocated to this training programme in the current financial year.

Approximately 524 police stations have established victim-friendly facilities (e.g. separate rooms for taking statements and/or one-way glass facilities for identification parades). The majority of those projects were developed in partnership with local community policing forums, business and the community.

The Ministries for Safety and Security and Health, are leading the development of a national strategy to address rape. This strategy will focus on prevention, victim services, investigation, prosecution and court management, offender rehabilitation, communication, and partnerships.

Following approval by Cabinet, extensive consultation will add provincial and local and non-governmental perspectives. The strategy will also impact on other crimes against women and children.

The SAPS Communication component has begun raising the awareness of gender issues and service provision among SAPS members across the country by providing service commitment indicators for members in dealing with the victims of rape and sexual offences, as well as domestic violence. These have already been distributed to all police stations in a concerted effort to raise members' awareness of their obligations towards these victims.

Organised crime busting is one other area where the SAPS has been able to register important breakthroughs, both here at home and abroad. The dominant criminal groupings have been identified and a new strategy to deal with them has been worked out and is being implemented. The end-result of the strategy would be to do away with the traditional specialist units of the past and create instead project teams under one command structure in terms of our Crime Combating Strategy.

Above and apart from SADC it will indeed be difficult to beat the syndicates which operate across borders and continents. Regional co-operation is a must and, fortunately for us, it is there and working. This region is targeted by international syndicates as a consumer market and conduit to other parts of the continent and the world. These contraband syndicates are exploiting the fact that the appropriate structures that we are building in the new democracy are still weak and porous.

Some of the major successes that we have registered this year are:

* the seizure of counterfeit, expired and stolen medicine to the approximate retail value of R 100 million;

* the dismantling of the mandrax plant in Mozambique and the seizure of large quantities of drugs including mandrax and cocaine;

* the arrest of 80 members of a drug syndicate in Gauteng.

Included in the 219 "geographical hot spots" are eight areas, which form part of the Urban Renewal Programme, which also form part of the Crime-Combating Strategy. Various policies and programmes have been embarked upon in some areas to deal with the multifaceted challenges regarding crime and poverty that face these areas. They include the following:

* Victim Empowerment training programmes for SAPS members which commenced in June 2000.

* Youth Violence in Schools Programmes carried out together with the National Youth Commission and the Department of Education.

* Interdepartmental programmes for the prevention of, and early intervention and improved service delivery regarding domestic violence, including the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act of 1998.

* Safer Schools and programmes to prevent violence by the youth.

* Programmes to reduce substance abuse.

* Community policing and neighbourhood watch programmes.

* Providing victim-friendly comfort rooms for victims of crime.

Crime analyses reveal that the efforts in Alexandra, Mitchell's Plain and Motherwell in particular, are bearing fruit.

Other provincial departments, the SAPS in the provinces and the SAPS National Social Crime Prevention Component run programmes which focus on local and youth crime prevention, firearms, gangs and Domestic Violence.

The Urban Renewal Strategy is also facilitating the implementation of the Youth Violence Project in the presidential priority areas. The particular focus is on developing safer schools and addressing key priority issues such as truancy, gun carrying in schools and supporting learners at risk.

As can be deduced from the operational successes that have been briefly described, the organisational priorities, namely to improve budgetary, physical and human resources are well on their way to being addressed.

The SAPS training and developing programmes have already proved invaluable and include the following:

* functional training courses, including border policing, community policing, human rights, domestic violence and tactical policing, etc. for 5516 members;

* management courses for operational, middle and station managers, etc. for 1 314 members, and

* numerous courses for support personnel.

* In the period April to August of this year alone 1 264 detectives were trained in special investigations, another 97 in project management and 502 in detective learning programmes. Eighty percent of detectives have been trained in terms of current programmes.

* Crime Information Analysis Centre (CIAC) members at station level have been trained since January 2000.

* Training in the past focused on certain specialised areas of policing, but now the focus is on providing training which instils and enhances the skills required to combat crime effectively in terms of the National Crime-Combating Strategy.

Training abroad and through international donorship has contributed enormously to the ability of the members of the SAPS to deliver and improve its services to the community and, in particular, to increase crime prevention, detection and investigation in support of the Crime-Combating Strategies of the Service. Among other programmes the following advances were achieved:

* members were trained in the Combating of Computer Crime;

* members were trained in Anti-Terrorism Assistance and the Combating of Urban Violence, VIP Protection, Vital Installation Security, Hostage Negotiations and Officer Survival;

* members have received international training in combating drugs;

* members received international training in areas such as vehicle theft investigation, improved investigative services, crime scene preservation and evidence collection, the profiling of criminals, extremists and serial killers, tracing evidence and investigating bomb blasts, as well as organised crime;

* 166 members in the Eastern Cape, as well as all the station commissioners in the Eastern Cape, underwent training in Community Policing;

* Within the next few months more members will be receiving SAPS Skills Development and Driver Training (R28 million has been allocated to this), as well as Operational Project Management and 100 members will be trained in Intelligence Crime Analysis.

Other developments in terms of budget, physical and human resources management include -

* The process of civilianization in terms of which trained police officials are replaced by civilians. At Head Office alone the number of personnel decreased by 1 824. A total of 918 functional police members were transferred to operational duties;

In this regard, approximately 5 000 new personnel will be employed as from 1 April 2001. 1 200 of these personnel will be entry-level police officials and the remaining 3 800 will be civilian personnel, thereby releasing additional police officials for operational duties;

* The appointment of an Inspector-General and the establishment of Inspectorates, the Audit component and an independent Audit Committee are set to improve supervision and control;

* Absenteeism has been decreased by 33%;

* Two thousand (2000) reservists have been employed over past three years as force multipliers;

* Outsourcing / transferring / scaling down of non-core functions has been carried out and will continue in an attempt to enhance our capacity in terms of our core functions;

* A Performance Management System has been implemented to link individual and organisational performance to organisational objectives.

* A personnel strategy was developed whereby personnel expenditure has been reduced from approximately 84% of the total budget to where it is now stabilising at 78%;

* The introduction of an integrated professional assistance service within the Employee Assistance Programme, which integrates the services provided by a variety of professional occupations such as Social Services, Psychological Services and Spiritual Services, has improved the quality of the human resources management service provided by the SAPS to its employees;

* An agreement has been reached with the Labour Unions to assist in the implementation of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act;

* The improvement of salary and overtime conditions of personnel in the SAPS, is at this moment in time, receiving earnest attention at top level;

* The advertising of 3 356 posts allowing for promotions from inspector to captain has been approved;

* The enlistment of 2 749 personnel during the 2000/2001 financial year is continuing. 1 903 appointments have already been made;

* The restructuring of divisions, components and stations, as well as personnel, to support efforts to increase productivity and effective service delivery to all communities is in an advanced stage;

* A community safety centre has been completed near George, 8 police stations have been built and 11 stations have been upgraded this year. Six (6) new cell blocks were built and 16 upgraded.

International donorship continues to increase the capacity and infrastructure of the SAPS in the most critical environments for an effective and efficient impact on crime. This includes the following:

* Renovating 11 police stations (and another 12 nearing completion) and 4 auxiliary garages in the Eastern Cape;

* Technical support of faxes and computers to prioritised SDIP police stations and areas to the Eastern Cape;

* The development of 5 model police stations in the Northern Cape;

* The establishment of a DNA Criminal Database of R26 million by the end of year;

* The acquisition of Crime Analysis tools by the end of the year to increase intelligence capacity and detection (addressing organised crime such as urban terrorism, heists and vehicle hijackings);

* The establishment of a Criminal Record Fingerprint Laboratory to upgrade and improve crime scene management and achieve the optimal number of convictions;

* The acquisition of technical equipment for the Detective Service and Intelligence environments.

The murder of police personnel continues to be a major source of concern, but what is pleasing to note is that our actions and the involvement of the community has already led to a decrease of 29,3% in police killings in the first half of this year.

Furthermore, contrary to the belief that police members are being targeted for their firearms (8,7% in terms of the research), a comprehensive research survey among the perpetrators indicate that in 43,5% of the cases members were, in fact, attacked/murdered in an attempt by the perpetrators to escape/resist arrest.

My concerns have led to the establishment of a Directorate for Police Safety within the Division: Crime Prevention on 1 December 1999 whose aim is to perform the following functional responsibilities:

* Developing preventive measures against the attacks on and the murder of SAPS members;

* Developing appropriate strategies, guidelines, policies and standards to address the attacks on and the murder of SAPS members;

* Maintaining/implementing a support system for members and families of members who were attacked or murdered; and

* Establishing community support structures.

Working groups have also been established within the Directorate to address the assessment of existing and possible new personal, support and physical equipment.

A Trauma Working Group is addressing the role and functions of the helping professions following attacks on or events traumatising members.

A guideline document has been developed for commanders explaining the role and responsibilities of commanders after members have been traumatised. Which will be circulated soon.

A Research Working Group is researching all the aspects of murders of or attacks on police officials.

A working group dealing with Securing of the Personal Environment is addressing salaries, danger allowances and every possible means of providing financial compensation and support.

A new Tactical and Firearm Training Guardian Committee was established in January 2000 to develop effective training mechanisms and programmes for teaching tactical policing skills and the use of firearms.

The SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) training curriculum has been revised and the training of trainers for this new Tactical Policing Course commenced in August 2000. The Tactical and Firearm Training Guardian Committee has developed a Preventive Survival Tactics Training Programme that will be presented over a period of three days.

The above emphasises the fact that we are committed to developing preventive measures to prevent the murders of and attacks on police officials and to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to book. What we further require, however, is the active involvement of the community in reporting these and other perpetrators of crime.

Together, Ladies and Gentlemen, we will make a difference in this country and set in motion a nation at work for a better life for all. You can count on my commitment to do so and on that of the National Commissioner of the Police Service and his loyal members of staff.

I thank you.

Issued by the Ministry for Safety and Security, 11 September 2000