Speaker, hon President, hon Deputy President, we are 17 years into our democracy. From the very first year of our democracy, crime has been a priority for the ANC government. For the opposition, it was a desperate rallying point; a disingenuous political tool which they believed they could use to garner support against the ANC ruling government.
Throughout these years, and despite the much criticism from the doomsday prophets from all corners, the ANC government steadfastly kept its focus on the fight against crime. That tenacity is now bearing fruit.
The ANC government is often accused of not prioritising crime and that it is not serious about fighting crime. Nothing can be further from the truth. There is no one political organisation that can benefit more from the success of the fight against crime than this very ANC government. Why do we say this?
First and foremost, it is a requirement of our own Freedom Charter. Secondly, it is a requirement and an obligation of government, through the Constitution of South Africa, to provide safety to South Africa's people and their property. Thirdly, South Africa is a developmental state and every rand that we spend on the fight against crime is a rand that we could have spent on addressing other pressing needs such as education, health or the creation of jobs.
The ANC, more than anyone, knows the importance of bringing crime figures down to an acceptable level and to free up the funds to be used in other priority areas. In 1994, the ANC government inherited a fragmented police force whose main focus was not the prevention of crime, but rather the enforcement of an unjust and undemocratic system. The challenge was to take that force and turn it around into a democratic police service that would be trusted by the broader community and would serve all South Africa's citizens equally.
Furthermore, the ANC government agreed that we need to professionalise our police personnel and enhance their skills, so that they can be equipped to address the changing challenges of crime prevention.
In 1995, the South African Police Service membership levels were 137 247; at the end of this year this will stand at 195 310. [Applause.] In 1995, the budget for the police was R9,8 billion; in the 2010-11 financial year, the adjusted appropriation budget component for the police stands at R53 529 740. In 1994, 25 960 people were murdered; in the 2009-10 financial year, murders came down to 16 834 despite an increase in the population.
This is the first time since 1994 that the murder rate dropped below 17 000. While every person murdered is still one murder too many, I am sure that we all agree that it is a significant decrease and speaks to the commitment and determination that is required.
Finances and resources are, however, not the only reason for the success in the fight against crime. The success that the ANC is achieving against crime and the criminals, who are spoiling the fruits of our democracy, was and still is based on community involvement in the fight against crime through Community Policing Forums and, more recently, the Community Safety Forums. These forums provide police with direct contact with the community, without which effective policing would just not be possible.
We must, however, guard against those forces that are trying to roll back the victories that we have achieved. In the Western Cape, we have experienced a concerted effort to frustrate the Community Police Forums by not providing them with financial or any other support through the department of community safety. This cannot be allowed, and we urge the Minister to intervene in this matter as a matter of urgency.
The concerted efforts to professionalise our police service through improved training also contributed to the success achieved. The increase in the number of detectives and along with that, the improvement of their training regime, further assisted us. Visible policing and patrols of known areas of crime contributed to the general decline in crime.
Prior to 1994, crime against women and children received little, if any, attention. This, however, became a priority area for the ANC government. In 1994, if one had asked any police officer to take him to a victim support room, he would have looked at you ... [Interjections.]