STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY MR S V TSHWETE

Cape Town 31 May 2001

Issued by South African Police Service

During June 2000 the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service advised that on reviewing progress of their crime-combating operations, top management of the SAPS had expressed concerns regarding the integrity and reliability of certain crime statistics used for operational planning.

A review of the situation with regard to statistics, as well as the report of the findings and recommendations of the Orkin Committee of Enquiry into the Collection, Processing and Publication of Crime Statistics, led to a decision by myself to place a moratorium on the release of crime statistics with effect from 20 July 2000. This was deemed necessary to avoid ineffective planning and the wasteful use of resources and funds. We also had to take into account that the statistics we release are also used by other departments and institutions outside the Police.

The National Commissioner appointed a task team, led by Deputy National Commissioner Louis Eloff, to implement measures to improve the reliability of crime statistics. The end result of that process would have to be effective planning for crime-combating operations.

The development of a strategy to improve the reliability of crime statistics revealed a number of issues impacting on the quality and reliability of such statistics. These included:

• The incorrect recording and registration of reported incidents of crime.
• Inadequate supervision and control in respect of this recording and registration of incidents.
• Incorrect extraction and analysis of crime information.
• A number of systems and procedural issues that required improvement and modernisation.

Having identified these shortcomings and contrasting them with the findings of the Orkin Report, a systematic implementation plan was devised by the SAPS to address the problems identified. The following remedial steps have already been taken over the past ten months:

• Training manuals, guidelines for the registration of cases, and checklists have been developed and issued. Relevant commanders' roles and responsibilities have been clearly defined. Supervision and control have been improved at local level and a Natio Instruction in this regard has been issued.
• Crime definitions and counting rules have been developed and disseminated to all stations.
• All Provincial Commissioners and key provincial police managers in the SAPS have been trained with regard to the computerised Crime Administration System so that adequate command and control will take place at all levels. Training was also given in thevelopment of intelligence profiles and the use of crime information and intelligence in crime-combating operations.
• A number of Police personnel (used as trainers) based in the provinces have been retrained with regard to the definitions and counting rules in order to ensure correct reporting and recording of crimes. The training process is such that it ramifies toass-roots level. This training process will continue indefinitely in accordance with requirements, but will be concluded at the 340 priority stations, as well as various non-priority stations by 15 June 2001.
• More than 600 additional computer workstations are in the process of being installed at various police stations and units for purposes of crime administration. 181 of these workstations have already been installed.
• Updated maps have been distributed to each police station to assist with mapping of crime tendencies. All CAS blocks (area within a station boundary defined for planning purposes) have been aligned to ensure sound planning.
• A computerised Geographic Information System has been implemented at 340 priority police stations. This system automatically plots crime tendencies graphically and will greatly enhance the capacity of the Police to do effective operational planning.
• Inspectorates have been trained and refocused. Over 2 400 inspections in respect of crime information administration have taken place and this process will continue indefinitely to ensure that training and supervision is maintained.
• 72 data analysts are in the process of enlistment to enhance our crime analysis capacity. An additional 600 data typists have been enlisted. Over 1800 members have been trained on the extraction and analysis of information from the CAS system. This wienhance the use of an intelligence-driven approach to crime-combating in all station areas, as well as at all levels of policing.

I am also informed that the SAPS is presently busy simplifying the CAS system, which includes the simplification of the code list.

Many of these processes are ongoing and will be evaluated and adapted over time. All initiatives have also been aligned with our strategy to develop an Integrated Justice System and integrated systems for use by relevant departments in the Criminal Justice Cluster.

I have been assured, and I am satisfied, at this stage, that a significant amount of progress has already been accomplished by the South African Police Service and they deserve to be applauded for doing so in a relatively short period of time.

It is expected that future crime statistics will be more reliable and credible in line with acceptable scientific norms as a result of the initiatives taken.

The situation will, however, be monitored and additional steps will be taken, if necessary. Of course training will continue and training in this regard will be included in the training curricula and standard training programmes of the SAPS.

As indicated previously by the President and reiterated on many occasions by myself, I am now in a position to announce the lifting of the moratorium with immediate effect.

The Department of Safety and Security will in future release crime statistics on a quarterly basis - the first quarter being July/August/September 2001.

It should be obvious that the new process will be of tremendous value to the South African Police Service in that it will enhance their accurate day-to-day planning of crime-prevention operations.

It must, however, be noted that it was not possible for the task team to rectify old statistics on the system, even though the police verified certain statistics regarding priority crimes for planning purposes. Here I am specifically referring to crime statistics for the year 2000, as well as the first few months of this year. The focus has rather been on implementing measures to improve the reliability of our crime statistics for future use.

The benefits of this are, of course, a sound basis for effective planning and the cost-effective use of resources and funds.

I have nevertheless directed that these old and unreliable statistics be released so that those of us who still want to use them for whatever reason can do so freely.

The decision to impose the moratorium was not inspired by any desire, on the part of the National Commissioner and I, to hide the state of crime in the country. Indeed some people, including the Democratic Alliance and some sections of the print media, believed that the idea behind the moratorium was to hide the Government=s so-called inability to bring down the levels of crime. I have no doubt in my mind that the SAPS is on top of the crime situation, thanks to the extensive cooperation that is forthcoming from decent South Africans in all walks of life. These people have come forward to offer help in the form of Information Technology, vehicles and even money. They have never shouted and hurled insults about the moratorium because they knew, by their own direct involvement in the fight against crime, why we took the decision to impose the moratorium.

I thank you.

Enquiries: Assistant Commissioner Joseph Ngobeni - 082 800 3672