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Date
: 08/09/2005
Source: Ministry of Safety and Security
Title: Nqakula: Monitoring and Evaluation media briefing
Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster Report to the
media
ELECTIONS
South Africa’s security services are happy to report that
voter registration on 3 September went very well. No incidents of
destabilisation or serious problems threatening the process were
reported. The Security Services were deployed in support of the
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Security Services will provide, as usual, logistical support to the
IEC in preparation for the elections later this year. The
logistical support includes ferrying electoral material to the
various polling stations especially those that are in the rural
countryside and providing storage of such material in police
safes.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) will for the elections
deploy adequate number of members to secure all voting stations and
to create an atmosphere to enable voters to cast their votes under
conditions of safety and security. The police contingent will be
assisted, as the case has been in previous elections, by police
reservists from across the country. The South African National
Defence Force will also play a key role in support of the police
especially in hot spots.
Home Affairs has improved its systems for the delivery of identity
documents. Home Affairs offices across the country will be
available to receive applications and enquiries regarding identity
documents on an extended basis including weekends. It is with
regret that we continue to have thousands of unclaimed identity
documents at Home Affairs offices. We would like, therefore, to
call upon everyone who has applied for and has not as yet received
their identity documents to check with Home Affairs offices closest
to them. A partnership has been developed between Home Affairs and
Local Government structures where councillors are assisting to
identify applicants so that their IDs can be delivered.
Home Affairs is developing a new system where as soon as an
identity document is ready the applicant will be notified. The
system will be up and running by the beginning of next year.
LEGALISING DOCUMENTS
The Security Services and Home Affairs are working on a project to
plug all gaps in our security system to prevent the procurement of
South African legalising documents through fraudulent means. We are
particularly concerned about the relative ease with which genuine
passports and identity documents have been acquired by criminal
groups, especially organised crime and terrorist groups. This
phenomenon has serious implications for national security.
Stringent measures are being implemented to enhance security and
control at all ports of entry. Home Affairs will be introducing
soon a world-class identity system to ensure the territorial
integrity of the border environment.
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES
South Africa recently hosted a Defence Symposium which was attended
by 28 navies from the African continent at which the importance of
collaboration, sharing of intelligence and expertise, and the
coordination of activities was emphasised as critical for improving
capacity.
The African Union has absorbed the newly-established Committee of
Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) as one of its
sub-committees. A CISSA conference was held last month in Libya
where a secretariat was appointed with headquarters in Addis Ababa.
South Africa was appointed to head the secretariat. The appointment
signals confidence in the South African government and our
Intelligence Services which has played a leading role in forging
closer intelligence cooperation on the African continent and
internationally.
SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
The Annual Report of the South African Police Service will be
submitted to Parliament on 21 September 2005 and will be released
to the public on the same day in Pretoria. The Report, as has been
the case in the recent financial years, will also embody crime
statistics.
The JCPS Cluster has set a target of between 7 and 10 percent
annual decrease in crime over the next five years. The effort will
target particularly contact crimes like murder, serious and violent
assault, as well as sexual offences including rape. Given that most
of the contact crimes relate to social interaction between people
who know one another, the main thrust of the work of the law
enforcement agencies is social crime prevention as a necessity
project to reduce such crimes.
Crime prevention and combating measures are built into the
Integrated Development Plans of Local Government structures where
the incidences of crime are high. This is necessary to deal with
social crime and social sector delivery can play a major role in
crime prevention. This relates to the delivery of social services
like housing, water, electricity, social welfare, sport and
recreation, etc.
The SAPS have been paying special attention recently to some of the
schools that have been hit by crime. A total of 1 253 schools were
visited by the police as part of the Safer Schools Project. The
Ministry for Safety and Security is working with the Departments of
Education and Social Development to define a more coordinated
programme to deal with crime in our schools.
The Ministries for Education and Safety and Security are finalising
the details of the project to declare all schools in South Africa
firearm free zones.
CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
Special Remission of Sentences
The release of correctional services detainees on special remission
of sentences worked smoothly. Correctional Services in implementing
the Cabinet decision on the releases, worked closely with its
partners in government and civil society. The process started on 13
June 2005 and were concluded on 10 August 2005 when a total of 65
837 offenders were released. This programme which unfolded over a
period of ten weeks marked the most intensive and solid partnership
ever between various sectors of the state and civil society
structures such as the South African Council of Churches, Nicro,
Khulisa and SANCA.
The released detainees included 1 156 children and 11 411 youth.
The remaining figure included 242 people of more than 65 years old
and 48 who are living with disabilities. Female offenders released
were 1 202 while foreign nationals were 411. Of the 65 837
offenders who were released, 157 have rearrested and are
awaiting-trial detainees who will face mostly economic crime
charges. This number constitutes only 0.24% of offenders
released.
Correctional Centres of Excellence
Correctional Services launched in all regions last month 36 Centres
of Excellence which will become one of the vehicles for accelerated
integrated service delivery. The delivery sites are a means to
spearhead the implementation of the White Paper on Corrections that
was approved by Cabinet in February 2005. They mark the
beginning of a new paradigm of rehabilitation.
The new programme consists of the state-of-the-art security system
which began in Gauteng and Eastern Cape in July 2005 focusing on
the Centres of Excellence and 30 other priority centres.
The systems also include:
* Closed-circuit TV system,
* Intercom,
* Turn-style gates with biometric finger print readers and
* Metal detectors to improve access control and the overall
security of the centres.
The department is setting up intervention teams at the centres of
excellence comprised of psychologists, social workers, teachers and
chaplains to implement the new program of correcting the offending
behaviour of detainees, while the institutional capacity is being
built for medium and long term implementation.
INTEGRATED CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Review of the Criminal Justice System
Cabinet has endorsed proposals by the Justice Crime Prevention and
Security (JCPS) Cluster to review the Criminal Justice
System.
The Review of the Criminal Justice System will also design a
programme for the empowerment of the National Prosecuting Authority
(NPA) as a key pillar with respect to the dispensation of social
justice in our country. A Development Committee has been formed to
facilitate cluster cooperation and coordination with respect to the
integrated justice system.
Case Flow Management
A survey on the application of case flow management was conducted
in KwaZulu-Natal in March 2005 and the response from the
prosecutors was extremely positive. It indicted a 70% compliance
with case flow management principles in the courts. The case flow
management system should assist in further reducing the number of
postponements for reasons other than for trial. We will only be in
a position to measure successes at the end of November 2005 when
the next audit of cases is undertaken.
Alternative measures to reduce the burden on our courts are being
considered. The NPA has made it one of its strategic priorities to
increase finalisation of cases by way of diversions and by
admission of guilt payments.
Community Courts
Thirteen community courts have been able to hold sessions while
four were formally established at Hatfield (Pretoria), Fezeka
(Gugulethu), Mitchells Plain and Cape Town. Nine pilot sites
commenced in Durban (Point), KwaMashu, Umtata, Bloemfontein,
Thohoyandou, Kimberley, Phutaditjaba, Hillbrow and Protea.
The total number of cases finalised since the start of the first
community court in April 2004, is 9685 cases, with a 96% conviction
rate.
Sexual Offences Courts
The National Project Oversight Committee (NPOC) was established to
ensure co-operation between the NPA and the Department of Justice
and Constitutional Development in the establishment of specialised
courts. This Committee was broadened to include representatives
from the judiciary, the Legal Aid Board and Justice College.
Between March 2004 and March 2005, there were on average 63
Specialised Sexual Offences Courts in session, including dedicated
courts that alternate bi-monthly. Some of these courts are
operating on an additional basis. In March 2005, there were 70
courts in session. Between April 2004 and February 2005, 5771 cases
were finalised. The average number of cases finalised per court
remained the same as the previous financial year. However, the
conviction rate increased from 61% to 63%. In April 2005 these
specialised courts achieved a conviction rate of 70%.
Thuthuzela Care Centres
The Thuthuzela Care Centres are 24-hour one-stop service centres
where victims have access to all services that include police,
counselling, doctors, court preparation and a prosecutor. The main
objectives for these centres are to eliminate secondary
victimisation, reduce case cycle time, and to increase
convictions.
Multi-disciplinary training has been completed for five sites i.e.
Mannenberg, Mdantsane, Libode, Galeshewe and Chris Hani
Baragwanath. In anticipation of the establishment process for
Thuthuzela Care Centres at Mamelodi and Natalspruit, the training
at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital included role players from the
five sites. Mafikeng has also been identified as a site to be
established this year. Provincial and local staff from Umlazi,
Phoenix and Umtata is scheduled to have an exchange visit to the
Cape Town Thuthuzela centre to introduce them to the training
model; demonstrate how the model works; discuss teething problems
and build networks.
Anti-rape Strategy
The cluster has been monitoring the implementation of the Anti-Rape
Strategic Framework and Domestic Violence Programme. The team is
responsible for, inter-alia, the management of the said projects
and the review of the services provided by the law enforcement
agencies at the Thuthuzela Care Centres.
The project is intended to improve the victim support services and
the investigation of rape and domestic violence incidents. It is
expected that the improved victim support service will facilitate
the reporting of rape and domestic violence.
CAPACITY
Defence
The largest intake in the SANDF’s history occurred in January
2005 with 3 927 young recruits who were enrolled on the basis of
the Military Skills Development System (MSDS) which was launched in
2003.
The recruits who joined the South African Army were 2 963, the SA
Air Force 189, the SA Navy 631 and the SA Military Health Service
144. Another intake of 4 434 members is planned for January
2006.
SAPS
The total staff establishment of the SAPS as on 15 August 2005 was
148113 members. A total of 11 000 trainees has been allocated for
the 2005/2006 financial year. 4410 reported for basic training on
11 July 2005. The remaining recruits will commence with basic
training on 6 January 2006.
Corrections Over 2050 new officials have thus far been recruited to
beef up service delivery, especially at the Correctional Services
Centres of Excellence, with 1024 currently undergoing training in
Zonderwater and Kroonstad Training Centres of the Department. This
year’s target of over 3000 new recruits will be met while
arrangements are being made for a further recruitment of 6000 new
officials over the next two years.
Issued by: Ministry of Safety and Security
8 September 2005
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