6.6.4 Departmental response: The National Commissioner acknowledged the concern of Committee Members with regard to the extensive use of consultants and stated that, in his opinion, where the SAPS referred to internal capacity they were in fact referring to outsourcing. The National Commissioner stated that he was concerned about the extensive use of consultants and the fact that 18% of costs were for consultant fees. A possible solution was to ensure that internal skills were retained more effectively.