The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) can reveal, through a Parliamentary Reply, that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has failed to provide any digital forensics training to detectives stationed at the country’s highest-crime police stations over the past year. This comes at a time when cybercrime, online scams, digital fraud and identity theft are growing rapidly across South Africa.

The reply shows that between 1 April 2025 and 27 February 2026, not a single detective stationed at the Top 35 highest-crime police stations received digital forensics training.

The DA will be writing to the Acting Minister of Police to explain why no digital forensics training was provided despite the growing cybercrime threat. We will also seek clarity on what plans SAPS has to expand digital investigation capacity and ensure detectives are equipped to tackle the crimes of the future.

This is not an oversight. It is a deliberate decision that leaves SAPS unable to keep pace with modern criminal activity.

Crimes such as bank fraud have become one of the fastest-growing forms of crime in South Africa, with criminals increasingly using digital platforms to steal from victims. Yet SAPS is failing to equip detectives with the specialised skills required to investigate these crimes.

The consequences are serious. Without refresher training on the chain of custody for digital evidence, detectives are at risk of mishandling it. Simple acts like turning on a seized phone without a Faraday bag will alter metadata, making evidence inadmissible.

Smartphone encryption methods evolve rapidly, meaning that training from 2024 becomes obsolete by mid-2025. Detectives attempting old methods will lock devices permanently or trigger factory resets. Critical evidence, such as WhatsApp communications, location history, and financial app data from suspects in high-crime stations (e.g Nyanga, Inanda, and Delft), becomes irrecoverable. The consequence of that is that major case investigations are likely to stall or be thrown out of court.

The Parliamentary Reply further reveals broader capacity problems within SAPS detective services. Across the Top 35 high-crime police stations, there are only 3 496 funded detective posts despite an approved requirement of 4 607 posts. Of those funded posts, only 2 480 are filled.

This means that thousands of detective positions needed to investigate crime have either never been funded or remain vacant.

While SAPS provided limited training in financial investigations and gender-based violence case management, it provided absolutely no digital forensics training whatsoever. Only 15 detectives across these stations received financial investigation training during the reporting period.

Criminals know that SAPS is lacking and are exploiting it.

South Africans deserve a police service that is prepared for modern crime. The complete absence of digital forensics training at the country’s most crime-affected police stations shows that SAPS is failing that test.

Issued by Lisa Schickerling MP - DA Spokesperson on Police