Another priority is strengthening the detective service, and crime intelligence in particular. These are the areas that by and large help in the prevention of crime because, while we have a duty to combat crime, we have an even bigger responsibility to prevent crime from happening. In that regard some work has been done, together with crime intelligence and the DPCI, the Hawks. As part of our concerted drive in specialised investigations, particularly in tackling commercial crime, the DPCI have arrested 8 309 individuals and secured 5 561 convictions. Further, regarding organised crime, they have arrested 2 820 and secured 884 convictions. [Applause.]
The Anticorruption Task Team was established specifically to investigate public sector corruption in terms of Output 5 of the government delivery agreement. During the corresponding period the ACTT had significant successes, arresting 38 suspects for fraud and corruption amounting to R212 million, and seizing assets totalling R250 million.
Some of the disturbing criminal acts in the course of the past year have been rhino poaching. This year alone over 200 rhinos have been killed. This has been declared an operational priority by the Department of Police. A national task team has been established at the DPCI to specifically address this matter. Again, government has been engaging at all levels, particularly with our counterparts in countries of East Asia, to enhance law enforcement agencies. We had a meeting with my counterpart in Vietnam in October last year, specifically regarding this matter, and were given assurances and commitments of co-operation and working together.
Regarding women, children and people with disabilities, we re-established the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, and went around the country interacting with the men and women who are working in this area. We have also raised the matter of scarce skills because we believe that this area is a highly specialised one and the people who work in it need all the support they can get, from government and everybody else.
Crime against women and children is a priority for the SAPS. Therefore the FCS units, which have been reintroduced in all 176 SAPS clusters in all nine provinces, are starting to work effectively. Currently 2 155 detectives have been placed at these units and they have been issued with 1 276 vehicles. Previously, the FCS units consisted of only 1 864 detectives. An additional amount of R49,5 million was provided to all provinces to capacitate the FCS units with resources. From April 2011 to January 2012 the FCS units achieved over 363 life sentences, with a conviction rate of 73% for crimes against women above 18 years of age and 70% for crimes against children under the age of 18. [Applause.]
A total of 17 314 out of 21 000 detectives have been trained in detection- related courses. A further 2 161 detectives will be trained on the basic detective course during the 2012-13 financial year. A total of 493 detectives who were in the past transferred to other components and divisions in SAPS have been placed back in the detective services environment. Six courses for the training of detective commanders were presented during the 2011-12 financial year, in which 346 commanders were trained.
Next is skills-focused recruitment, as opposed to volume-based recruitment. Over the past year we have made certain changes in our approach to recruitment. Our official standards have been benchmarked against other countries and have compared favourably. However, we must now seriously look at how our recruitment is actually being carried out on the ground.
We have also prioritised the area of the Forensic Science Laboratory. Following the 66% reduction in backlogs recorded in forensic services in the 2010-11 financial year, increased commitment and greater effort resulted in a further 30% reduction in 2011-12, despite a 67% escalation in the workload, which increased from 66 375 in 2011 to 111 068 in 2011-12. This further reduction is commendable, especially in view of the production time lost as a result of increased emphasis on the development of individual performance. The department will continue to grow forensic capacity in response to the expected escalation in exhibits received.
In addition to the awareness drives to enhance current services offered by the forensic services, more crime scene management service stations have been established to reach especially the rural communities where such services were difficult to reach previously. The department is intensifying its efforts to reach even more communities in this new financial year.
The next area of focus is the review of the White Paper on Safety and Security. During the last financial year we made concerted efforts to strengthen civilian oversight over the police through the reform of the directorate formerly known as the Independent Complaints Directorate, now known as the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, and the Civilian Secretariat for Police. Now that these reforms have been processed, the task will not only be to ensure delivery by these oversight bodies, but also the review of the White Paper on Safety and Security and subsequent overhaul of the SAPS Act. During the 2011-12 financial year the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Bill was passed and became an Act, and in December 2011 the Act was put into operation by the President of the Republic of South Africa.
Lastly, for this financial year the focus must be on strengthening oversight over the police. While we have committed ourselves to actively combating crime, including serious and violent crime, by being tougher on criminals and organised syndicates, we have always emphasised that this tough stance on crime must be balanced by our philosophy that community policing must be based on and entrench a human rights culture, as well as a community-orientated sensitivity. That is why we are pleased with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act, Act 1 of 2011, which takes the IPID out of the SAPS. Thus, from 1 April 2012 their independence from the police has been entrenched. The IPID Act focuses the investigative mandate of that directorate on specified serious matters. These include deaths in police custody, deaths as a result of police action and any complaint related to the discharge of an official firearm by any police officer.
We will introduce the Private Security Industry Regulation Amendment Bill, where we are looking at the regulation and strengthening of this area. What we are saying here is that while we have to forge links and work with private security, we must at the same time ensure that this area is not infiltrated by criminals.
Lastly, we want to announce that we are putting in place a commission that will deal with the whole area of firearms, particularly dealers in firearms. It will also strengthen co-operative governance in the handling of firearms within the police service itself.
I want to declare that this, the Year of the Detective, should be when everybody will roll up their sleeves and work to get the conviction rate raised. [Applause.]