Date: 08/07/2011
Source: The Department of Police
Title: SA: Mthethwa: Remarks by the Minister of Police, at the summit against police killings, Boksburg

Deputy Minister of Police, Ms M.M. Sotyu;
National Commissioner of Police, General B.H. Cele;
All MECs for Safety and Security present;
All SAPS Lieutenant Generals and Management present;
Representatives from Civic Organizations present;
Representatives from Business Against Crime SA present;
Representatives from CPFs present;
Representatives from Unions present;
Representatives from ICD present;
Representatives from PSIRA present;
Representatives from Interfaith Organizations present;
Representatives from Youth Formations present;
Representatives from LeadSA present;
Representatives from SHOUT Foundation present;
Representatives from NGOs present;
Representatives from Research and Academic fraternity present;
Distinguished Guests;
Members of the Media;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

We want to begin by expressing our appreciation to all of you present this morning for honouring our invite to the Summit Against Police Killings. By virtue of your attendance, you have affirmed your stance of being against any mauling of law enforcement agencies.

To us, engagements such as this one represent a continuation of our crusade. They on an ongoing basis help us in policy formulations, advancements in programmes and where necessary, assist in fine-tuning some of our current approaches. It is vital to ensure that the policies we develop are intertwined with current safety and security challenges.

Perhaps from the onset, we need to emphasize our uncompromisable undertaking that this government is committed to fighting crime and all its evils. We will fight it toughly, smartly and within the confines of the law. Coupled with this is our unmovable stance on community-policing philosophy.

The recent killing of members of the law enforcement agencies, especially the police is a direct threat to our hard-won Constitutional democracy; a threat that should not be taken lightly by society.

As of today, 48 police officers have been killed nationally since the beginning of the year. We are saying enough now! One police life lost is one too many. We need to do something about it, collectively and as individuals. As the first step, as experts gathered at this Summit, we shall be drawing from your expertise and support in curbing this scourge.

It is also important to perhaps look at the statistics of police killings since 2003 to date as collated by our Visible Policing Unit.

Year Total
2003/04 108
2004/05 94
2005/06 95
2006/07 108
2007/08 107
2008/09 105
2009/10 101
2010/11 93

Based on a provincial breakdown from 2003 to 2011, Gauteng remains the worst affected province (201) followed by KZN (178), the Eastern Cape (83), Western Cape (68), Mpumalanga (45) and the North West (45). The above table shows a steady decline and we need to emphasize that this was not a coincidental decline, but one based on various interventions that have been developed and implemented by the department.

Since 1999 some of the approaches and initiatives that have been implemented by the SAPS, include the establishment of a Multi-Disciplinary Committee to address attacks on police members. The Directorate for Police Safety was also established within the Crime Prevention Division in 2001. This Directorate was tasked with identifying and implementing measures to prevent attacks on and the killing of police officials.
High levels of murder of police officials affect morale whilst also traumatizing colleagues and families. These deaths lead to uncertainty and feelings of insecurity within the police. In some cases off-duty police officers are known and specifically targeted even when off-duty. We are saying: enough is enough!

As South Africans we must pledge to work for peace, respect and integrity. We should understand and uphold the Constitution in letter and in spirit to help our society advance its democratic culture. We must also encourage fellow citizens to work with government and the law enforcement agencies to apprehend those who plan and commit crimes against society.

Members of the South African community are therefore expected to report violations of the law and the Constitution as we know them to occur. We expect them to neither give nor receive help from any criminal conduct by any member of society. This means society is now in a stronger position than ever to help secure our democracy.

The challenge confronting all of us is to turn South Africa round to make of her (South Africa) the place of hope, security and human fulfillment. We have a duty and a mandate to ensure that its citizens are safe in their homes, workplaces, places of worship and entertainment.

Our programme and vision therefore inform our approach in fighting crime. Safety and security, especially community involvement in fighting crime, domestic violence, strategies for fighting violent crime remain our key focus.

We approach all these tasks with all the seriousness they demand. Our programmes will have to address the desperate needs and concerns of our citizens. Criminal acts deny and take away the most elementary human rights from society.

In fact if we look at some of our 2003 Report and circumstances under which police members were killed, they indicate that:

· 20% of incidents while police were responding to a crime, during search and seizures or conducting follow up operations;
· In 4% of incidents police officers were killed by colleagues most often in the work environment; pointing to high levels of work related stress;
· Family disputes accounted for 2% of deaths, that is, love triangles, ex-partner or domestic violence;
· 5% of police died while engaged in arguments with members of public;
· 8% were killed when being robbed for their guns (sometimes in an opportunistic manner).

The determination, the will and the ability of society to fight crime until victory cannot be questioned. The justness of our cause is unchallengeable. Their unity on the question of crime should act as a source of great strength to us.

Today there can be no doubt about the determination of the overwhelming majority of the citizens of this country to take concerted action to help us squeeze and liquidate crime. Community policing is the central plank of our approach to policing.

We consistently stress the involvement of the people in policing. This is informed by the recognition that it is not police alone who combat and prevent crime. As government we have always been committed to ensuring that policing becomes a professional activity with more emphasis on better training and recruitment programs.
Training and discipline should be underpinned by a deeper commitment to the Constitution and a culture of service to the people. There must be a good appreciation of the distinction between the need to use maximum force against violent criminals and, minimum force in dealing with fellow citizens.

Work is also under way to strengthen and where appropriate, formalize relationships with various stakeholders, with a view of tapping into the diverse skills which may not necessarily be available within SAPS. This effort involves partnerships with communities, civil society, business and other government departments.

We are also confronting a broad range of challenges on issues like CPFs, volunteer programmes, alignment of plans and activities. In all these, police should take the lead in keeping with their Constitutional mandate of honest, dedicated, selfless sacrifice and service to society. We need a collective sense of mission to change mind-sets and to steer the nation away from a dangerous path.

The programmatic transformation agenda within the SAPS still remains an imperative driven by the need to develop the all-round capacity and readiness to unleash telling blows against crime and corruption. As government we have placed the issue of crime high on the agenda.

The task that confronted us then was to act urgently to galvanise the service into action. However, without high levels of discipline, command and control this would not be possible. The police ranks were changed to address this aspect, that is, to ensure clear lines of command and control and instil a sense of discipline amongst the members.

Concerns have been expressed that the change in ranks represented a step back. Symbolically perhaps, in substance no. The change in police ranks is an operational matter and has no Constitutional or policy implications. If steps were to be taken to try and interpret the change in any manner other than operational, such efforts would run into a brick wall in terms of our policies, specific resolutions, the Constitution and the broader legal framework.

The changing nature of crime has necessitated us to be smarter in our approach, whilst still anchoring on intelligence for community policing orientation. The prevalence of firearms and the widespread readiness to use them, together with the availability of military expertise amongst criminals, have changed the nature of crime in the country.

The kinds of threats we face are of a different nature than we envisaged. In many instances that involves organized violent crime; we have to deal with gangs that have acquired varying levels of military training.

Their mode of operation is military, from planning, gathering of information to execution. This type of threat requires a suitable response. The police must everywhere maintain a capability to meet this threat.

It is clear therefore, that a tactical and calculated physical, morale and skills-driven toughening of the police are a necessary step under the current conditions. However, we should note that the philosophical orientation of the police in training and in running the institution remains firmly. We believe that alone, the issue of ranks cannot constitute militarization.

One can call the management of the police by any name, what is important however, is the policy foundation and practical orientation of the police. Rank is an essential element of police supervision and leadership, enabling individuals in each rank to form a homologous group. And, without a clear sense of the chain of command, field accountability is at risk.

What we have ahead of us, is a protracted war that would not only result in the defeat of crime and criminals, but also in the eradication of its legacy of fear, pain, and uncertainty of coming back home alive when you left for work, school or involved in recreational activities.

Criminals have for all intents and purposes, defined themselves as outcasts in the community and as such they must be treated. To be where we are, we have waged many battles and will have to fight many more to achieve our peaceful and prosperous future.

Some of our current programmes that we are implementing include the finalization of a Community Safety Forum Strategy by the Secretariat of Police. This strategy will outline and contribute to a greater understanding of the role and responsibility of the public in crime combating. It will also focus on building partnerships with civil society and corrections as a societal responsibility (which includes the successful reintegration of offenders in the community).

High police visibility will continue to be one of our approaches. It has resulted in the following impacts: trio crimes have been significantly lowered particularly in the traditional flashpoints of crime and at peak times of occurrence. It also increases the risk run by robbers, for example, decreasing the reaction time of the police or shifting the robbers’ operations to areas and time they are not familiar with.

As we conclude, we want to say that we are under no illusion that there are no quick fix solutions to policing challenges in South Africa. We do believe that over the last few years, we have begun to put in place processes that are not only yielding some successes, but will also become the building blocks for the Police Service we envisage.

It should not be a government-only responsibility to tackle crime. We believe your experiences as broader civil society enable you to better grasp and understand some of the key issues faced by police. Whether as researchers, academics, media, organised labour, interfaith organisations and many other stakeholders, you have a crucial role to play.

It is increasingly becoming obvious that things cannot be done the same old way. Things must be done smarter and faster. Through intensified partnerships, the tide is now turning. More and more South Africans are joining this crusade.

Together We Can Do More To Eradicate Attacks on and Killing of Police Members.

I thank you.