Chairperson, the answer to the member's question is yes. The member's application for a SAPS 108 personal inventory firearm was granted in accordance with the relevant prescripts of the SA Police Service. However, the member is now suspended without pay and his firearm was removed.
The SA Police Service complies with the required legislation, which includes the following: All official firearms and ammunition that are not under the direct and physical control of a member are stored in a safe or strong room that conforms to the prescripts of the South African Bureau of Standards standard 953-1 and 953-2 as prescribed by the SAPS regulations. Inspections are conducted of all firearms stored at all police stations.
Every member who has a firearm on his/her personal inventory is issued with an official safe for the safekeeping of the SAPS firearm. The possession of a prescribed safe is a prerequisite to the issuing of an official firearm on personal inventory to a member. All SAPS firearms and ammunition on a room inventory of a safe or strong room, or issued to a member on his or her personal inventory, are inspected twice a year and then certified on the Provisioning Administration System. A stocktaking and certification certificate must be completed by the inventory controller.
Designated supply chain management, Amos, also annually inspects all SAPS firearms on a room inventory of a safe or strong room, or issued to a member on their personal inventory.
Employees of the SA Police Service are reached via proactive programmes conducted on a macro level in order to market the services of Employee Health and Wellness. These programmes educate police officials on suicide awareness, relationships, emotional regulation and topics relevant to the organisation and the individual.
Regular psychological evaluation is not possible due to various reasons, such as the ratio of employees to registered psychologists and it being prohibited in terms of the Employment Equity Act, Act 55 of 1998.
The top management of the SA Police Service views employee wellness as a top priority and therefore will support all scientific measures implemented proactively and reactively in order to enhance the wellness of all employees.
Thank you, Minister, for the comprehensive answer. I think that we sometimes tend to forget the circumstances under which police officers are working and the strain that comes with constantly being in the line of fire. In that light, and since psychological counselling is currently voluntary, we know that the culture in the SAPS is that of not going to counselling because you would be seen as being weak. I want to ask the Minister whether he would consider making psychological counselling compulsory for police officers involved in trauma or shooting incidents.
Chairperson, I think that we would need professional advice on that matter because, as the hon member correctly puts it, police officials work under very difficult situations and circumstances and they sometimes come across horrible scenes. However, there is the situation just referred to - where especially male officers feel that if they undergo professional help, they would be seen as weaklings.
For instance, we had to talk to the officers in the North West after the Marikana tragedy. We made a point to those officials that seeking professional help is not a sign of weakness. After that tragedy and the impact it had on them all, even their provincial commissioner sought professional help. It is therefore something that we always emphasise. However, making it compulsory as opposed to voluntary, as it is at the moment, will largely depend on professional advice.
Order! Will the member whose phone is ringing ensure that it is switched off. You are disrupting proceedings.
Chairperson, because this speaks directly to the mental health of our officers, I find myself rather taken aback by the Minister when he says that he is quite happy to leave counselling as an option. It is international best practice to make psychological counselling an order. If it were compulsory for every SAPS member to have psychological debriefing after a traumatic event, like a shooting, killing or a clean-up, then there could be no fear of it at all.
Over the years I have requested time and again that professional counselling be made mandatory for all our SAPS members. I would like a direct answer from the Minister. Will he or will he not make it mandatory for all members who have been in a traumatic incident to have psychological debriefing? We can try to avoid the horrendous events when an SAPS member murders himself or herself and their entire family.
Hon member, thanks for your concern. As I have said, I am not a psychologist and as far as that issue is concerned, we will ask for help. [Interjections.] However, speaking generally, it would be difficult, because counselling is not for only a particular instance. Generally, police work is difficult on a daily basis. Therefore, in terms of making counselling compulsory, I am saying that if this were within the prescripts of the profession itself, then we would gladly go for it. [Applause.]
Minister, do you have enough psychologists? The problem is that you may have many police officials who require this assistance, only to find that we run short of psychologists. Do you have enough psychologists to make sure that whatever you implement would be done as soon as possible?
Thank you, hon member, that particular question has never arisen, precisely because even those who are there are sometimes underutilised. As I have said, the voluntary nature of this service makes it look as if there is an abundance of psychologists in the police service. In fact, it is not like that. We know that in certain circumstances an officer might have experienced a particular situation, but it is still difficult for him or her to undergo the service.
Until such time when, perhaps, everybody flocks to this particular service, we will not say that we are understaffed. We will only see when we get there.
Chair, following the Minister's answer, I think we need to look at this issue when we get to the SA Police Service Act and the review of that Act. Can we ask the Minister that the research that needs to be conducted be conducted before then? The fact of the matter is also that we know that in other police services throughout the world, they have embarked on such processes. For example, they would take the firearm away from the officer for a certain period of time. After psychological clearance, the firearm will be returned to the officer and the officer will conduct their service during that period.
Agreed. Thank you.
Chair, I would like to know from the Minister, since he shows huge sympathy for SAPS members who find themselves in this terrible situation, how that relates to the fact that, according to the last available annual report, there are only 96 psychologists in the SAPS. That is a ratio of one psychologist per 1 600 members. Does the Minister think that that is sufficient?
This is the same question that the hon member asked before and we have responded. Thank you very much. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
It is not the same question - not at all!
Chairperson, on a point of order: Hon Ndlovu's question had nothing to do with the ratio of psychologist to police member. I think the Minister is adopting a generous interpretation of hon Ndlovu's question and, by doing so, he actually did not answer hon Kohler-Barnard's question at all. Can he please answer the question?
Order! Hon member, in terms of your interpretation of the response of the Minister, that should then be a new question.
Number of police officials involved in criminal activities
201. Mr V B Ndlovu (IFP) asked the Minister of Police:
What is the total number of police officials who have been found to be involved in criminal activities since 1 January 2013?