The South African Police Service (SAPS) kept its books clean and its performance steady in the 2024/25 financial year, despite tighter budgets and growing operational pressures.
The Auditor-General’s report gave the service an unqualified audit opinion for the fifth year running, confirming that its accounts complied with the Public Finance Management Act. SAPS spent its entire R113.6bn allocation, juggling cost-cutting with frontline demands.
The police met just over three-quarters of their annual targets, 76.3%, up from 67% a year earlier. Administrative and detective units improved; the crime intelligence division again achieved a perfect record.
The total headcount rose to 187,681 after the recruitment of 10,017 new officers. Vacancies were almost eliminated, at 0.1%, and staff turnover held steady at 3.2%.
Reported serious crimes fell by 4.3% to 1.53m cases, reversing last year’s increase. Contact crimes such as assault and robbery declined by 2.2%, though offences against women and children rose slightly.
The number of police officers killed on duty dropped by a third, to 74. Operation Shanela and other intensive policing drives led to 1.46m arrests and the seizure of more than 6,500 firearms.
Vehicle availability rose marginally to 85.5%, but fleet numbers failed to keep pace with the expanding workforce. Firearm losses fell 22.8% to 572, while recoveries of illegal guns exceeded targets.
SAPS opened nine new stations and deployed nearly 100 mobile units to extend access to policing, especially in remote areas.
The national case-detection rate climbed to 47.6%, and convictions for contact crimes edged up to 82.4%. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation made 3,621 arrests and secured 24,866 convictions, with asset seizures worth R682m.
DNA-sample collection improved to 94.9% compliance, but the forensic backlog swelled to 33% as laboratories struggled with staffing and equipment shortages.
Analysts say that while SAPS remains fiscally disciplined and operationally more stable than in recent years, the force faces persistent challenges, with overburdened forensic labs, violence against vulnerable groups and an overstretched fleet threatening to blunt the modest progress achieved.
Written by The Daily Friend and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.
