South African Policing Union Submission to the Portfolio Committee on Policing 26 March 2013

1. South African Policing Union Submission to the Portfolio Committee on Policing26 March 2013 Budget Vote 25

2. Structure of the Presentation • Our Presentation will address the following issues • The National Development Plan • Programme 1: Administrative Budget • Programme 2: Visible Policing Budget • Programme 3: Detective Services • Programme 4: Intelligence Services • Programme 5: Protection and Security Services • Will also deal with other Related Issues such as for example; • Suspension Without Pay • Recruitment • Specialised Units • Polmed • Conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION • The Honourable Portfolio Committee Chairperson, honourable portfolio members, Members from the Media, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen; the South African Policing Union (SAPU) would like to thank the Committee once again for inviting our organisation to make a submission to the 25th budget vote. • Greetings from 80 000 members of the South Africa Policing Union (SAPU) and wish you well in your oversight responsibilities. • Difficult and rough period for the SAPS as public opinion plummets to its lowest ebb • Organisation facing challenges mostly from Police Brutality • Need to for this committee to provide leadership and Oversight because without the cooperation of the community police cannot fight crime • The Andries Tatane, The Marikana Tragedy and now the Mido Macia incident has changed our policing landscape and community Police relations • The Policing of violent public protests and the role of media has exposed the serious weaknesses of our policing approach in a democracy and protection civil liberties • Social problems such as housing, unemployment and dissatisfaction with service delivery end up being a policing issue • This is not to say that police officers have no role but perhaps that are policing approach and philosophy should be that of preserving life. A militarised police organisation is not compatible with policing in a democracy.

4. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN • SAPU welcomes the National Development Plan (NDP) as a guiding document for the vision of country • The vision of NDP gives meaning to our Constitution in as far as it promotes the safety and security of all citizens of our country • SAPU’s view is that the NDP requires police to be professionalised not militarised; • This requires a u-turn and a paradigm shift in the recruitment process, working conditions of police officers, issues of salary, training and development as well as going back to the community policing approach. • It also requires police officers to be adequately equipped with both lethal and less lethal weapons and provided appropriate gear to use in appropriate circumstances. • Welcome the NDP for seeking to build a safer society by increasing community participation. • Cannot go back to a Apartheid style policing in which the state is pitted against its own people • Young and junior officers are forced by senior commanders to open fire on violent demonstrators • Many police officers are suffering serious post traumatic stress disorder as well as related psychological problems resulting in suicides • The problem if suicides is the best kept secret in the SAPS because of high numbers

5. This policing approach has undoubtedly impacted negatively on community participation in policing. Our interaction with CPF tells us that these democratic institutions have been rendered dysfunctional and impotent by this policing approach. Honourable, I am a professional police officer who has served as a police officer for 25 years. I never in my wildest dreams think that I will again experience the level of police brutality in a democracy similar to what l experienced during the dark days of Apartheid. The recent incident involving a Mozambique national being dragged at the back of a police van during day light and in front of cheering community members is not only disheartening but sickening. It also reflects the sickness that still exists in our policing environment. Honourable chair, some of the worst atrocities do not take place in the glare of the media or community members but within our militarised environment. SAPU joins all the like minded in condemning these atrocities and calling for not only those involved by senior commanders to be held vicariously accountable for the behaviour of police officers. We also welcome the National Development Plan’s recommendation regarding the fight against corruption. Corruption needs to be fought because the failure to defeat it will have major consequences for our democracy. In order to achieve that we need to create a police service that respects the policing profession. This means that we also need to create an independent unit that will address police corruption from within. We need to restore the restore the integrity and credibility of the police service if our attempt to fight corruption in society is to be effective. Every year we have raised this issue as a major fault line in the delivery of policing services especially to underprivileged communities. We have called for the introduction of the Anti-Corruption Unit within the SAPS to intensify the fight against corruption. We remain convinced that a specialised Anti corruption Unit that is adequately resourced will have more successes in dealing with the problem of police corruption.

6. Programme 1 : Administration • SAPU welcomes the decision taken by police management and the Treasury with regards to retrenchment of police personnel. • Think would have sent a wrong message and further erode public confidence on the SAPS • Personnel Numbers • Personnel numbers don’t add up which makes it difficult to know exactly how many personnel we have in the SAPS • There are 199 038 people employed in the Department but the report speaks of expected increase from 198 184 in 2012/13 to 199 936 in 2013/14. • This raises the question of exactly, how many personnel are there in the Department? • Report also shows that there are 37 223 posts in the Administration Programme. This number is expected to increase from 35 713 in 2012/13 to 37 705 in 2013/14. It is not clear to us the number of personnel in the Administration programme. • Budget on Infrastructure • Welcome the budget of R796.6 million for 2012/13 which is expected to increase to R1.1 billion over the medium term • Cannot professional policing in the current state of policing infrastructure • Many of our police stations are in a very bad state and lack basic infrastructure such as toilets and good working conditions. • The state of infrastructure was best captured by special assignment in the Eastern Cape where police officers were shown using bushes to relieve themselves • Some of these police stations have been exposed in the media showing police officers relieving themselves in the bush.

7. If this Committee and government is not embarrassed by that then nothing will. • Some police stations have no floors or the floor has pot holes, ceilings have been vandalised and are falling apart, there are no windows, gutters and some buildings look like there have never been painted since there were built. Its a shame and we all need to be embarrassed by this • Professional policing requires creating a professional environment to work from. • Impossible for anyone to be professional when there are working in sub-human conditions with no basic infrastructure or resources • We have been to police stations where police officers have to stand all day because there are no chairs to sit. Where there are chairs, some of the chairs have no back rest. • SAPU is asking this Committee to ensure that the budget for infrastructure is used where it is most needed. It cannot be used to fix air conditioned offices while police stations on the ground where actual policing takes place are dilapidated. • Budget for Police Barracks • The state of police barracks have been ignored for years and the problem needs urgent attention • This responsibility cannot longer be abdicated to the Department of Public Works. • These millions in the police budget on infrastructure must address the infrastructure crisis in the police • It is ironic for many police officers to police service delivery given their living conditions • Many police barracks have never been refurbished since there were built by the Apartheid government.

8. Budget for Training and Development • Budget for Training and Development also not clear • The adjusted overall budget for training and development shown on page 3 of the budget shows a budget of R46 833 223 yet a breakdown of budget from different programmes shows a budget of R45 400 000 • No budget allocated for training and development to Crime intelligence and Protection and Security Services programmes • 80% of the budget has been allocated to the Administration programme and 15% to the Detective Services. • Our view is that given the state of our policing more investment is required particularly in the Visible Policing Programme. Visible policing is a critical component of the police given that it is also the face of the police service. • The complaints against the police are often from this Component because of the interaction it has with the community.

9. Programme 2 : Visible Policing • Visible Policing is the face of policing in South Africa. • Within Visible Policing there is Crime Prevention, Border Security and Specialised Intervention Units. • Major concern for SAPU is that the budget allocated for training and development is lack of adequate budget allocated in this Programme. • Civil claims mostly caused by members in this Unit • Training is important to empower police officers and in order to shift attitudes as well as policing culture. We think that until more investment is provided to this component we will continue to encounter serious problem which ultimately undermine policing in South Africa. • SAPU welcomes the budget for creating victim friendly facilities but our view is that all police stations should be friendly facilities for victims. • Police stations should be friendly to provide services to victims of rape and sexual assault, Assault GPH and everyone who uses police stations. • These improvements of facilities are critical if professionalism of our policing is to be achieved. We need to be able to offer victim a chair to sit but how can you provide a chair when you don’t have it.

10. Programme 3 : Detective Services • Budget must also prioritise Detective units. Detectives are very important in ensuring that suspected criminals are investigated, arrested and evidence gathered presented in court. Our detectives are a window to many victims of crime to achieving access to justice. • The crime problem overwhelming for understaffed Detective Unit and that impacts on the quality of investigations • As a result, major crimes are prioritised and that impacts on victims of lesser crimes • The question that most people ask is whether it is worth reporting a minor crime because investigators are overwhelmed with work; • It is not practical that one investigator can adequately solve 150 to 200 dockets a month • SAPU does not believe that it is strategic for police officers to be fast tracked to become investigators but there is a need to create capacity of uniformed members to investigate minor crimes; • It is disheartening when we hear and see cases being withdrawn or thrown out of court or dockets closed because of lack of evidence and because the detective did not have enough time to properly investigate the cases. • It defeats the access to justice

11. The year 2012/13 was declared the year of the Detective Services yet the budget does not reflect this position. • Human capacity was to be prioritised and this has not been done. • According to the budget report, there are 39 189 personnel in the Detective Programme as following. • The Detective Services is the heartbeat and engine of policing in South Africa • All dockets end up in this Programme for investigations. • Challenges of understaffing are severely impacting on policing and access to justice issues • The work load that detectives generally have it is no wonder that there is pressure in the police for detectives to concentrate on priority crimes. • Crimes that are less serious are not investigated and this often results in community members not reporting less serious crimes. • The problem of vigilantism and increase of private security indicates low confidence of public policing • The biggest challenge is how to get public confidence on the police services and stop extra judicial practices

12. Figures for Detectives • The figures of police personnel in the detective services reflected in the budget are questionable. • In 2012, there were just over 26 000 police detectives and it is impossible that in one year the system would have produced close to 3000 detectives. • Forensic Science Laboratory • There are 1 476 personnel in our Science Laboratories who have to deal with millions of forensic specimen • The stack truth is that some of the specimen are rooting in our laboratories because of lack of capacity • Even for specimen of rape victim, it can take up to 2 or more years before DNA evidence is made available; • Forensic laboratory require urgent intervention to ensure that investigations are completed quicker. • Specialised Investigations • Is the Special Investigations subcomponent referred to in this budget report refers to the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI)? This is not clear whether DCPCI is part of the SAPS. • There are 2 802 Detectives tasked with the investigation of serious and organised crimes in the country • This very thin given the complex nature of organised crime in our country.

13. Programme 4 : Crime Intelligence • There is a need to highlight the plight of Crime intelligence because it has been neglected by Police Management. • In a country such as ours, crime intelligence is a very critical component in the fight against crime; • Our crime fighting ability is handicapped by lack of investment and capacity building in this unit; • Our concern is that the personnel in this unit lack the kind of support required. For instance, Crime Intelligence is not allocated any training in the budget. The last time there was an allocation was in 2009/10 when only R3 000 was allocated. We wonder what kind of training this was that was conducted for R3 000. • Ignoring Crime Intelligence is a grave mistake and this Committee must not allow this to happen; • There are 9 206 personnel in the police services of which 3 324 are personnel responsible for intelligence operations and 5 882 are responsible for intelligence and information management. We would like to encourage this committee to look at creating a budget that will increase capacity in the Detective Services as well as Crime Intelligence. • Given the problem of drugs and South Africa being the gateway to Africa, South Africa has become a haven for drug syndicates and drug lords • Crime intelligence critical in infiltrating the syndicates and dealing with organised criminals. • We need our crime intelligence to be on top of the crime situation and have the capacity to infiltrate these syndicates wherever there are within our borders. • .

14. Programme 5 : Protection & Security Services • We are happy with the budget and the personnel of 6 315 in this Programme. We think that looking after dignitaries is very important as the failure to do so may plunge our country into chaos. • Our concern is mainly with regards to the purported merger of this unit to the Intelligence Unit. The Intelligence is tasked with the important task of fighting crime and not driving around dignitaries. They however fight crime using very obscure and overt methods and we think that merging them with the Protection and Security Services will in fact weaken their capacity to fulfil their mandate. • Its a bad and uninformed idea Other Budget Issues • Some of these issues may already been catered for in the budget but we hope to highlight them so that there are dealt with. • Suspension without Pay • Suspension without pay continues to take place in spite of an agreement reached with police managers to stop the illegal practice. • Police are citizens are protected by labour laws of this country • Mostly junior ranking police officers are the worst affected by this practice senior ranking officers are suspended with full pay and benefits. • Senior officers also enjoy having their legal expenses paid for by the SAPS yet junior members have to rely on their legal expenses • We cannot have two set of rules for senior managers and junior personnel in the same organisation. • We cannot even talk of professional policing while these thin

15. .Recruitment • SAPU believe that the issue of recruitment should be directly linked to the issue of professionalising our police service. This means that the screening of candidates should be tougher and those who make it into our college must earn it. • Gone are the days when people came to the police service because they have failed to get their preferred career choices; • Our recruitment processes should compete with other sectors and get the best available candidates. • The biggest challenge is that the SAPS recruit already dissatisfied people and subject them to bad treatment and it has produced a receipt for policing • The is an urgent need to change the image of policing in this country; We cannot be taken seriously as police officers if we have 27 000 police officers in our organisation who are declared incompetent to carry a firearm. • We cannot be respected as an organisation if we have close to a thousand police officers facing a variety of offences from murder, rape and other serious crimes. This requires a paradigm shift in the manner in which we seek to turn around policing in this country. • Need to invest money into training and support of our police officers. We equally want to get to a stage where all police officers can wear their blue uniforms with pride and honour to serve and not think about the medical aid that gets exhausted only after a few visits and a place to stay because the majority of police officers do not qualify to access bonds neither do they qualify to access RDP houses.

16. Specialised Units • Our considered view is that a spcialised units are part and parcel of professionalising policing; • Internationally, police departments do create specialised units in order to fight specific crimes. While we do not want to dwell much on the lost opportunities when an approach was taken to disband specialised units we are happy of their introduction. Understandably, it will be sometime before they reach their full potential. • No need to create Specialised Units in order to fail. There is need to invest on skills development and appointing the right people and are adequately resourced and equipped. We have seen FCS members attending rape crime scenes without crime kits to collect evidence. When crucial evidence is not collected property it often results in poor evidence and subsequently the state loosing cases. We believe that when that happens it is travesty and denial of victim to justice. • POLMED • The last issue that we wish to raise is with regards to POLMED. We raise this issue last year with this committee and we did not receive any support. As a result our organisation has taken a decision to get our issues resolved by our courts. POLMED has become a nightmare for the majority of police officers and we do not think that it is serving the interest of our members. • Tipping point was an increase by 200% of the CEO package while the scheme is on the red. We have requested for information to support this expenditure without any success. • POLMED is a monopoly and does not serve the interest of police officers; • POLMED fails to provide quality services because it enjoys no competition in the environment;

17. SAPU will also be challenging this in terms of the Competition Act and Consumer Act, • We think other Medical AIDS scheme must be allowed to compete so that members can benefit from the competition that will ensure; • We are confident that when this issue gets to the Court our position will be vindicated. • SAPU is grateful for the support it continues to receive from the receive from this Committee. • More support is needed. • SAPU encourages Committee members to continue visiting police stations not only in the urban areas but in remote areas to get first hand experience. • We are confident that you will be able to verify all the issues that we have raised. • Police reflect government power view is that we have a police force in crisis; • We are encouraged by the energy of the honourable members of this committee and we wish you well in your oversight responsibilities of the Police Department. • Let me conclude on a much more positive note. Once again our men and women in Blue demonstrated to world that with resources and support they can deliver quality policing to our people and the world. We want to congratulate our police officers for their sterling work during the African Cup of Nations which took place in January this year. We applaud our police officers for working tirelessly and securing this event. Indeed Africa and the World were focused on us and we did not disappoint. Conclusion

18. We do acknowledge that in spite of this success, our policing is at the lowest ebb with regards to public confidence and trust and it is a challenge that we need to turn around. Within a short space of time since the football spectacle, a number of events have taken over which have put the police is bad light. • Finally, with your permission honourable chair and the house, I wish to humbly ask this Committee to please stand up and observe a minute silence in remembrance of our men and women who have died in line of duty in the previous year. • May their soul rest in peace and may their death continue to inspire all of us to work hard in creating a safe and peaceful South Africa. • I thank you