Chairperson, I would like to start by conveying the condolences of the portfolio committee to the hon Chauke, who lost his brother this past weekend and to say to the Chauke family that our prayers and thoughts are with them at this time.
This is the first time I have the opportunity of participating in the debate on the Budget of the Police Service. For the past 10 years I have had the opportunity of participating in the Budget Vote for housing, amongst others.
In 2004 the emphasis on housing changed from building houses to building communities. However, one of the missing links that was very noticeable was that of the police. Very seldom did we see new police stations being built at the same time human settlements were built. We have just celebrated 54 years since the Freedom Charter was adopted by the real and only Congress of the People at Kliptown. [Applause.] For your information, it says "there shall be houses, security and comfort." [Interjections.]
The ANC's 2009 election campaign message said that by working together we can do more. This message applies equally to government departments; in this instance the Departments of Police and Human Settlements. These two departments must start working together, talking to each other, planning and budgeting together for the provision of police stations while new human settlements are built. We hope that in future presentations to the portfolio committee the Department of Police will indicate how this is being implemented.
The fight against crime and corruption forms part of the five priority areas which the ANC has identified for the coming five years. This seriousness is reflected in the resolutions taken by the ANC at Polokwane in 2007, in our 2009 election manifesto as well as in President Zuma's state of the nation address. The ANC's election manifesto stated that the ANC government will -
Actively combat serious crime and violent by being tougher on criminals and organised syndicates. In this respect we will increase the capacity of the SAPS through recruitment, rigorous training, better remuneration, equipping and increasing the capacity of especially the detective services, forensics, prosecution, the judicial services and crime intelligence.
During the Budget Speech of this year the Minister of Finance said:
The fight against crime is drawing on the work of the criminal justice sector review. Efforts to overhaul the forensic and investigative capacity of the police are under way, together with enhanced use of available technology.
President Zuma said in his state of the nation address:
Together we must do more to fight crime.
It is also critically important to improve the efficiency of the courts and the performance of prosecutors and to enhance detective, forensic and intelligence services.
Two crucial areas in the fight against crime are the detective service and crime intelligence. Whilst we note the average increase in the budget for the detective service at 8,6% over the MTEF, our real concern is how this money will be spent. Will this result in a better equipped and more efficient and effective detective service? Far too often we hear of detectives who handle anything from 50 to 100 dockets, sometimes more. In most police stations that I have had the opportunity of visiting over the years this has been the general trend. In addition, often their working environment is not conducive to good performance. I have often come across situations where detectives don't have regular access to cars. This means that they can't get to the scene of a crime on time and it results in delays in their ongoing work.
A unit from the New Scotland Yard has been involved in working with our detective service. Whilst they acknowledge that our detectives are well trained and that their training is on a par with that of the Metropolitan Police Service, they have expressed concern at the high number of dockets per detective.
According to the SAPS planning information for this financial year, the number of detectives is to be increased from 21 000 to 26 000. While this is welcomed, urgent steps need to be taken to address the workload and working conditions of detectives. Detectives often ride around with dockets. If these get lost, there is no backup for this information. The electronic docket system must be rolled out as a matter of urgency and we welcome the Minister's assurance in this regard in his speech today.
Further attention needs to be given to the forensic science laboratories. We are told that staff turnover is high, resulting in highly skilled personnel being lost. The department needs to reassess its retention strategy and also needs to consider other measures which could assist in retaining staff and attracting new staff, which would improve the efficiency of this division.
Should we not be looking at a faster rollout of the electronic finger-print scan, which should be linked to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, Afis, the electronic National Traffic Information System, eNaTIS, and the Home Affairs National Identification System, Hanis? This would also enable an effective, efficient, accurate and faster method of analysing fingerprints than the current process. The budget for the forensic service laboratory and the Criminal Record Centre needs to be reviewed, as the increases are too low, given the backlogs that they face.
In relation to crime intelligence, urgent steps need to be taken to ensure that every police station has correctly trained, equipped and resourced operatives and that the division as a whole is strengthened. One of the questions that need to be asked is whether we have sufficient intelligence on the many organised gangs in South Africa. At a national summit on crime held in December 2008, Divisional Police Commissioner Lemmer stated that the terrorist attacks in India and the xenophobic attacks in South Africa were lessons about the importance of crime intelligence. He went on to say:
We need to get our own house in order when it comes to working with different partners and if there is an effective partnership between us and the people we are meant to police, then we will have prior information to prevent such despicable and daring terrorist attacks as happened in Mumbai.
The head of crime intelligence has been in an acting position since 2007 and we welcome the Minister's assurance here in the House today that a permanent head will be appointed shortly. Whilst the budget reflects increases for the detective service and crime intelligence over the MTEF, we have to ask whether this will be sufficient to bring about the necessary changes.
In programme 5, which deals with protection and security services, we note substantial increases for rail police and port of entry security. The increase for the rail police is welcomed, particularly as this subprogramme has proven to be extremely successful and has resulted in the high crime rate on some rail routes having been significantly reduced.
We are concerned as to whether sufficient funding is provided for borderline security. [Interjections.] During the committee hearings we were told ...
Maybe you should listen!
We were told that the police had insufficient resources, including personnel, to patrol these borderlines effectively. [Interjections.] The department needs to look into this matter and, if necessary, request additional funding.
The work of the police during the Confederations Cup is highly commendable. I had the opportunity of attending one of the matches and I was highly impressed with the visibility of the police both in and around the stadium. My cousin told me the other day that they actually walked from the Johannesburg Civic Centre to Ellis Park through Hillbrow and that they felt perfectly safe throughout their walk. [Interjections.] No, they were actually telling the truth. [Applause.] [Interjections.] To all those policemen and policewomen who worked so hard, we say, "Well done". [Interjections.] We appreciate your dedication and commitment, as well as the sacrifices your families have made. You have our support and our respect.
In the past months our news headlines have at times carried stories regarding the use of blue lights by the VIP Protection Services. We agree that the use of these lights is often necessary, but we also agree that they must be used responsibly and only when necessary and in line with guidelines. We would ask the Minister that the guidelines on the use of blue lights be reinforced where necessary and that the VIP Protection Services be constantly reminded of their responsibilities when using these lights.
During the budget hearings with the Police Secretariat it became clear that there seems to be some confusion regarding the actual role and responsibility of the secretariat. The mandate which they presented was not in line with that reflected in the Act. We ask the Minister to ensure that the secretariat fully understands their role, and if necessary also to take steps and restructure the secretariat so that each person understands his specific responsibility and role to be undertaken. The level at which the head of the secretariat is graded also needs to be reviewed.
More and more we read of the tragic circumstances where police officers take the lives of their families and themselves. Surely this indicates a need for effective workplace counselling? But this also indicates that police officers operate under immense pressure and are often in distress. The assistance of local communities, and in particular religious communities, needs to be encouraged to play an increased role in providing support to their local police stations. We do need to hear what steps are being taken to ensure that such tragic events are avoided in the future.
Through the budget allocation to the police, we want to have a Police Service that is well trained, well equipped and consists of men and women of integrity who are honest, who respect the community and who have the respect of the community they serve.
Before I conclude, I would like to make a couple of remarks regarding some of the inputs made by members on that side of the House. [Interjections.] I would like to start by addressing the speech made by the hon Kohler- Barnard. I think it is mischievous to say that the ANC wants to keep the country in the dark about crime. It is totally mischievous. [Interjections.] The ANC has been open and honest about crime in our country. If you had taken the time to listen to the African National Congress during its election campaign, and if you had listened to President Zuma, you would have noted that the ANC is open about crime, has been candid about crime and is serious about addressing it. [Interjections.]
The hon Kohler-Barnard spent 11 minutes on a list of complaints, but not one single suggestion and not one solution. [Applause.] In fact, as I sat here, I actually wondered if she has any solutions. I would have thought that she would come here and use this opportunity to make suggestions and bring solutions, but she doesn't have any. Her entire speech ... [Interjections.]