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27 October 2007

The South African Police Service has taken note of the recent media reports by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) with regard to a need for a review of the current Crime Prevention Strategy. Several recommendations were tabled, which in essence, are already work-in-progress priority issues being addressed by the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster.

The JCPS Cluster, co-ordinates the interdepartmental crime prevention and security initiatives across the integrated justice system. The key policy documents governing policing in South Africa are: Section 205 of the Constitution; the SAPS Act, 1995; 1996 National Crime Prevention Strategy, which is complimented by the 2000 SAPS Operational Strategy.

The aim of the latter is to improve service delivery by preventing, combating and investigating crime. The SAPS strategic plan for 2005 to 2010 sets out several operational priorities. To mention but a few, combating organised crime; serious and violent crime; crime against women and children and improving service delivery to communities. The key organisational priorities that underpin these operational priorities are human resources, budgeting and resource management. Our ultimate aim is to stabilise the levels of crime over the medium term.

The management of the SAPS is committed to ensuring that the police service uses the best and most modern technology to prevent and combat crime and has to this end inter-alia, installed a Genetic Sample Processing Systems at the Forensic Laboratory in Pretoria which is used for Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) Analysis, a breakthrough in terms of turn-around efficiency.

In addition, we have established a Biometric Identification and Enhancement Solution capability within the Criminal Record Centre to deal with biometrics, which will facilitate the identification of criminals. Recent successes achieved in the past two weeks alone (notably in Gauteng and various parts of the country) can be attributed to the implementation of the above-mentioned National Crime Prevention Strategy.

One of the major National Crime Prevention Strategy successes is the establishment of the High-Technology Centre to co-ordinate information and the utilisation of skills and technology to support investigators in identifying suspects, oppose bail, apprehend wanted suspects and establish links between cases of a serious nature.

Measures aimed at eradicating crime must be shared by forming sustainable partnership with various stakeholders. These include big business, non-government agencies, faith-based religious organisations, other law enforcement agencies and of course, our communities.

Issued by: South African Police Services
27 October 2007