The “mission is clear, our country must be safe for all,” says South Africa’s new police minister Senzo Mchunu, who outlined the new priorities of the South African Police Service (SAPS) at a press briefing in Pretoria on Monday, 15 July.
Noting that crime levels have increased, but that crime is different in each province, the Minister told members of the media that this warranted tough action, saying “tough measures need to be taken to reduce crime, where necessary.” All of this would be taken into consideration while developing a national policing strategy which has yet to be finalized. However, regarding the department’s view on how to address crime, the Minister said “we are interested in the causes and roots” of crimes committed.
Vowing to address increases in violent crimes including murder, rape, hijacking and kidnappings, the Minister said his intention is to make South Africa a safer place. “We literally want children to play free in the streets,” he added.
Among the most urgent priorities is the issue of construction mafias, with the Minister referring to the issue as a “very serious” matter, due to the effect on the economy, requiring urgent “priority attention.”
Regarding the mandate of the SAPS, the Minister noted that the SAPS Act would require amendment, as he viewed it, noting that it is “outdated” and must be brought in line with “modern day crime fighting and prevention.”
The professionalisation of the SAPS is another urgent priority, with the Minister stating there is a need to instill ethical values and patriotism, adding that the main duty of police officers is to “serve and protect the public.” The department would further focus on removing corrupt SAPS officers, as part of a strategy to change the “negative perceptions” of officers, which would aid in increasing the public’s confidence in the police. Urging officers to act with good conduct, the Minister said, “[we] must be clear, avoid acts of corruption,” emphasizing that it “won’t be tolerated at all.”
The Minister said he and his department are committed to correctly resourcing the SAPS, vowing to enhance the training process and ensure officers are sent for regular refresher courses. The integration of new technologies is another urgent priority, with the Minister saying “criminals must not be ahead of us” in respect to technology. Regarding new technology and new specialist units, the Minister mentioned that data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI) and surveillance would be among those prioritised. All of this, according to the Minister, would enhance transparency and increase the public’s trust in the SAPS.
Crime Intelligence (CI) would remain the “backbone” of policing and the SAPS, with the Minister saying that the budget for CI requires review, to ensure it is sufficiently capacitated. This will likely be part brought up during the Police Budget vote on Tuesday, 16 July.
As for the issue of illegal firearms, the Minister said there were “too many guns” on the street, noting that the seizure of illegal firearms remained a top priority.
Calling on the public, interest groups and community policing forums to work alongside the SAPS, the Minister said that they “cannot win the war on crime alone.” He further added, “working together, we can beat crime.”
When asked to provide any potential timelines for addressing these new priorities, the Minister urged patience, saying “we want to be cautious,” and that the department was “not in a position to do so at the moment.”