Hon Chairperson, the Portfolio Committee on Police conducted oversight visits to Limpopo and North West province in January and March 2012 respectively. In Limpopo, Ohrigstad, Sekhukhune, Burgersfort, Mankweng and Polokwane police stations were visited. In the North West Province, Mafikeng, Itsoseng, Stella, Potchefstroom and Orkney police stations were visited.
The committee utilises the monitoring tool adopted by Parliament in conducting its oversight. This tool assists in ensuring comprehensive gathering and interrogation of information and covers a wide range of issues. These issues range from information on management of the stations, the capacity of detectives, human and physical resources, and the implementation of prioritised legislation. The committee also interacted with interest groups, including Community Police Forums and unions.
The findings and recommendations were very similar in nature for both provinces. I wish to highlight but a few. Management at all stations could be improved. In this regard, the committee recommended that the national commissioner consider the retraining or redeployment of ineffective managers.
The control and management of the SA Police Service, SAPS, firearms were poor and need to be improved as a matter of urgency. Automated Fingerprint Identification System, AFIS, testing of all the SAPS firearms is being conducted and will go a long way in ensuring personal responsibility when dealing with these firearms. The archives at all stations remain a challenge, and government will have to apply its mind on the moratorium on the destruction of documents. Police stations are seriously challenged with physical space to store these documents. Proper control and management of the SAPS-13 stores - the evidence stores - remain a challenge. Drugs are not always leaving the stores at the time that they should, and evidence is not properly marked and recorded. The SAPS needs to come with a clear strategy on the evidence stores and the turnaround thereof.
There is still a lack of proper implementation of specific legislation in various police stations. Coupled with this was the observation that recommendations made by oversight bodies were not implemented at these police stations. These included recommendations by the National Inspectorate of police and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate or the Independent Complaints Directorate, ICD, as it was then called.
The challenges in the detectives' environment were mainly around management and resources. Since the committee highlighted these issues, 2012 was declared as the year of the detectives, and we saw great improvement specifically in the resourcing of the detectives. We are now expecting to see an improvement in conviction rates by detectives. The committee recommends that the national commissioner should ensure that the necessary steps be taken at station, cluster and provincial level to address the situation in each of the stations, as they pertain in the report on each of these provinces.
However, I would also like to highlight the few positive findings that we did make. The committee noticed that, with the exception of the Burgersfort police station, the station commanders had brought positive changes to the police stations where they were deployed. All the police stations that were visited had functional Community Police Forums. In the North West, we found the Batho Pele principles clearly displayed in the stations, and ordinary members of the SAPS were quite capable of explaining and understanding those principles. Stations in the North West had simplified charts of the Child Justice Act and the Domestic Violence Act and what is expected of police officers. This is an example that can be rolled out to other provinces and stations. During our visit, we came across a number of exceptional members of the SAPS who were performing their duties beyond the call of duty. The committee asks Parliament to adopt this report. I thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Hon Chairperson, move:
That the Reports be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report on Oversight Visit from 23 to 27 January and 2 February 2012 to Police Stations in Limpopo Province accordingly adopted.
Report on Oversight Visit from 26 to 30 March 2012 to Police Stations in North West Province accordingly adopted.