The Minister revealed the shortfall in a reply to a question posed by Mr Adriaan Roos, Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance (DA). Minister Schreiber noted the shortfall was the result of the BMA not having received the full requested funding from National Treasury. “Secondly, the transferring Departments transferred an accurate budget for Compensation of Employees (CoE) and did not transfer the full budget for goods and services.”

The breakdown for the budget shortfall is as follows:

The Minister additionally revealed the areas affected by the underfunding cuts are Human Resources, Information Communications Technology (ICT) and tools of trade.

The total approved structure for the BMA is 11 115 personnel, however as of 30 June 2024, 2 566 positions were filled, leaving the number of vacant positions at 8 549. Within the medium-term period, the BMA is required to fill 3 207 positions to ensure alignment with the total approved organisational structure. According to the approved organisational structure, the area for urgent capacitation is the Ports of entry. This includes critical support positions, which the Minister noted are critical for governance purposes.

The Minister emphasised the growing importance played by technology in enhancing border security. “Statistics show that many countries are investing in technologies that aim to streamline and bring efficiency in the entry and exit processes whilst balancing that with national security,” stated the Minister’s reply.

Crucial technologies which could serve as force multipliers for border security include satellite surveillance systems, and drones, which can detect migrants attempting to illegally cross borders. These investments are an indication that countries acknowledge that technology lies at the centre of resolving border control challenges.

The Minister acknowledged that the BMA aims to align with this global direction and understands it must invest into technology to enable it to successfully execute its mandate. Technology can further assist in automating processes and increase efficiencies within the Ports of Entry. “It is eminent that the main deterrent in the investment on ICT infrastructure/ technologies for BMA is current funding constraints,” stated the Minister, adding there “is therefore a critical need for the BMA to invest in ICT infrastructure to enable efficient delivery on its mandate.”

To augment the BMA’s current financial constraints, the Minister revealed the BMA has applied for Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA) funding from the Department of Constitutional Development to assist in the procurement of some critical tools of trade. An application requesting funding totalling R500 million was made, however only R150 million was approved.

“The requested funds were to be used for the procurement of Specialised Capital equipment,” said the Minister, adding these technologies would allow operational staff to adequately render their mandate, “which includes facilitating the movement of people and goods, effectively intercept the illicit flow of goods and illegal movement of people through our ports and vulnerable segments of the borderlines.”

These tools of trade include but are not limited to; patrol vehicles, firearms and ammunition, communication devices, body-worn cameras, surveillance equipment, forensic technology, motion sensors, drive-through vehicle/truck scanner, etc.

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The booming private security industry reveals South Africans’ unwillingness to compromise safety and their preference for affordable, comprehensive protection.

In a time where every Rand counts and the South African population is tightening its budget, the commitment to maintaining security measures remains unwavering.

Manhar Parshotam

We have received numerous queries from homeowners and business owners since we launched our latest surveillance products.

In the current economic climate of South Africa, characterised by high crime rates and other challenges, it is essential that consumers make informed decisions when investing in products.

A couple of years ago, understanding surveillance products was not easy for consumers, and often reserved for the privileged.

In light of the civil unrest experienced in 2021, fears persist, and communities remain on edge due to the ongoing incidents of infrastructure sabotage and violent crime. Therefore it comes as no surprise that today, almost every other household and business premises has adopted some form of surveillance product.

The SA Police Service annual performance report revealed that there are not enough boots on the ground, another factor that will surely leave citizens feeling vulnerable.

This shortage of law enforcement officers has left many citizens feeling exposed, leading them to turn to the private security industry for protection and peace of mind. Regardless of the causes of the shortage, the consequences are clear: longer response times, reduced police presence in our country, and a sense of insecurity.

Of course, homeowners and businesses will do whatever it takes, including embracing tech solutions, to protect themselves. In this vacuum of public safety, the private security industry and its products have emerged as a reliable and trusted alternative for many individuals and businesses.

Manhar Parshotam is the founder of Dragon Protection Services.

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The SA Police Service’s 2024/25 Annual Performance Plan, tabled two weeks ago, revealed that the force cannot keep up with the country’s growing population.

It said the SAPS has for a number of years faced the prospect of an ever-increasing population versus a steadily declining staff establishment.

The United Nations standard states that there should be one police officer for every 220 people in the country

“This has several negative effects on the organisation as it struggles to keep pace with the increasing demand for policing services, an increasing crime rate and the effects of an over-stretched policing capability.”

“As the population increased from an estimated 54 million in 2014, to 62 million in 2022, so the actual workforce that was deployed at the frontline to prevent, investigate and combat crime, uphold and enforce the law and protect and secure the people of the country and their property, declined from 152977, in 2014/15, to 140 048, in 2021/22,” the report said.

Government allocated additional funding to the tune of R8.7 billion during 2022/23 to “extend and rejuvenate SAPS’ staff establishment through the recruitment of 12000 additional personnel members.”

“Total expenditure is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 5.8 per cent, from R105.5 billion in 2023/24 to R124.8 billion in 2026/27, mainly to provide for the carry-through costs of the 2023/24 public sector wage agreement, the department is set to receive additional allocations amounting to R22 billion over the next three years.”

“The number of personnel is set to increase from 183708 in 2023/24 to 186538 in 2026/27. This will be done by appointing a targeted 10 000 police trainees in 2024/25 and absorbing them as constables upon their successful completion of training against which the natural attrition of employees should be discounted,” the report said.

The report revealed that the Detective Service was not immune to decreases in the workforce and increased workloads, as the number of docket-carrying detectives was reduced from 18963, as at 31 March 2022 to 17614 as at 31 March 2023.

“Despite reductions in the number of detectives and the increasing case load, the detection rate has remained relatively consistent, over the period 2019/20 to 2022/23.”

Police minister Bheki Cele said an additional 10000 recruits will be recruited to supplement the SAPS at the end of this year.

“This is a step in the right direction for turning the tide on crime, as it will ensure that there are more boots on the ground, which will assist in properly capacitating frontline officers such as police stations.”

“Our plan is to ensure that police officers don’t sit behind desks in these police stations, but work hand-in-hand with communities and bring criminals to their knees,” he said.

Cele said the SAPS will continue purchasing drones to enhance policing efforts, with drone pilots also being licensed and efforts to recruit drone pilot interns being prioritised. “Body-worn cameras, closed-circuit television (CCTV) as well as automatic number plate recognition systems are also receiving priority.”

The Top 30 crime-heavy stations have been prioritised for resourcing and new technology to address murder and other contact crimes, and over and above this, funding has been set aside for the increase in the capability and training of the Public Order Police (POP) and the Tactical Response Teams (TRT)”

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