Police Minister Senzo Mchunu followed up on Monday’s speech outlining new policing priorities by calling for an increase in the police budget, which totals R113.5 billion for 2024/25, up from R102.6 billion in the 2022/23 financial year.
Standing firm on his department’s priorities, the Minister vowed to build capacity and enhance police visibility in the country, so citizens may see “here are the police.” This would be done by improving community responsiveness through an increased crime detection rate, and strengthening the Crime Intelligence (CI) capability in order to build the public’s confidence in the police.
This would require recruiting additional members, something the Minister viewed as “crucial for addressing growing demands.” Noting the previous year’s budget had allowed for the recruitment of 10,000 new officers, Mchunu said that “of course, these numbers are not enough.”
The Minister further promised to enhance safety protocols and measures in order to safeguard police officials. This will be done through ensuring “operational effectiveness by implementing comprehensive training programs.” Through the provision of “advanced protective equipment” and establishment of “clear operational guidelines,” the Minister aims to reduce the risk officers face while on duty, further calling for an increase in mental health support for officers. This would go alongside regular safety assessments, to contribute to a safer working environment.
Strengthening specialised crime detection capabilities is also on the to-do list, something Mchunu views as essential for effectively addressing cybercrime, organized crime, commercial crime, and addressing corruption. This could be done through enhanced training, advanced investigative tools and dedicated task forces, with the Minister saying these would empower SAPS to tackle complex and high impact criminal activity more effectively.
“One of our top priorities is to reduce violent crimes, gender based violence and femicide.” The Minister sought to place an emphasis on implementation of programmes and action plans, aiming “to reduce percentage of contact crimes by 14.5%” and expects the “detection rate for contact crimes against women to improve by 71%.” Detection rate for contact crimes against children is promised to exceed 65%. “These efforts will primarily be implemented through the detective services programme which is allocated R71.3 billion over the medium term.”
Modernisation initiatives have been planned, “to meet 21st century challenges.” This includes “upgrading ICT infrastructure, improving connectivity and deploying mobile technologies to enhance ability to respond swiftly and effectively to criminal activities,” at a cost of R2.8 billion for 2024/25.
“Of course this is not enough, we are determined to move on this with higher speed” said the Minister, noting it could require a budget review in future.
Efforts to follow on recommendations from the Financial Action Task Force is underway, aimed at tackling organised crime, money laundering and terror financing. “These initiatives will be implemented through the detective services programme and the crime intelligence programme with respective budgets of R71.3 billion and R15.1 billion over the medium term.”
The Minister noted that Detective services accounts “for more than 20% of the budget”, calling for the urgent need to relook at the budget allocation for Detective Services and Crime Intelligence.
