In his remarks, the Minister described the three-day gathering as intense and deeply engaging, with robust discussions and valuable insights shared by police leadership, government representatives, and members of the public. He stressed that the event was not meant to be a one-off exercise, nor was it tied to the tenure of a particular Minister or National Commissioner. Instead, it is to become a standard practice, endorsed by Cabinet, and held every five years as a platform to take stock, reflect, and plan for the future.

The Summit was designed around three primary objectives: to assess the current crime trends and evaluate the effectiveness of existing policing strategies; to identify weaknesses and systemic flaws within the country’s policing structures; and to anticipate future challenges, while improving the efficiency and adaptability of law enforcement systems.

Central to these discussions was the human element of policing. Mchunu highlighted a workshop held in February that focused specifically on recognising and supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of police officers. Among the measures announced was the introduction of a toll-free, 24-hour hotline that would offer trauma counselling, peer support, and wellness services to SAPS members. This, he explained, would serve as a medium-term solution to the high levels of psychological stress experienced by officers in the line of duty.

Another immediate intervention would be the roll-out of a ‘Care for the Caregiver’ programme, aimed at providing support to wellness professionals within SAPS, many of whom themselves face burnout and emotional fatigue. This initiative, intended to be in place before the end of the year, acknowledges the heavy emotional burden placed on those who care for others within the service.

Mchunu also addressed structural reforms, revealing that the Ministry had finalised a revised organisational structure. This includes the introduction of a Detective Investigator allowance and the potential review of other allowances, depending on budget availability. The promotion policy is also under review, with the aim of balancing affordability with the need to boost morale. These proposals are set to be tabled at the SSSBC for further discussion and finalisation.

Significant strides have already been made in the form of recent financial adjustments. As of 1 April 2025, a 5.5% cost of living increase was implemented across SAPS. Operational members, including detectives, also saw their service allowance rise from R700 to R950, with future annual increases aligned to inflation. In addition, the housing allowance has been increased to R1,900. The Minister encouraged officers to make responsible use of these increases, discouraging indebtedness while urging members to take advantage of the housing allowance to secure long-term stability for themselves and their families.

Reaffirming SAPS’s commitment to ethical conduct, Mchunu said that the fight against corruption remains a top priority. In response to recommendations from a recent commission focused on ethics and corruption, SAPS will work to promote a culture of integrity through awareness campaigns and proactive prevention strategies. A major step in this effort will be the consolidation of existing anti-corruption units into a single, more effective structure.

Throughout the Summit, South Africans showed keen interest in the proceedings, and the Minister acknowledged that the conversations had drawn attention to both longstanding issues and emerging challenges. Yet, he noted that the real test lies in implementation. The question being asked, he said, is whether SAPS has the capacity and energy to act on the Summit’s resolutions. His answer was clear: the will to act is there, and the commitment is genuine.

Looking ahead, Mchunu laid out SAPS’s key priorities, which include reducing the murder rate, removing illegal firearms and drugs from communities, and addressing gender-based violence and femicide. Other crime categories requiring urgent attention include stock theft, cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, and extortion.

To effectively address these challenges, SAPS will continue to invest in vital enablers such as improved use of technology, strengthened crime intelligence, better training and resources for detectives, revitalised forensic services, and improvements to the general working environment for officers.

In closing, the Minister reiterated the fundamental duty of the police service, to protect the public and uphold justice. While criminals pursue self-interest, he said, SAPS stands on the side of public interest, committed to removing those who threaten the safety and wellbeing of South African communities.

“If we cannot yet eliminate the conditions that give rise to crime,” the Minister concluded, “then we must go out there and remove the criminals themselves.”

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Ramaphosa emphasised the evolving and complex nature of crime, stating that effective policing must go beyond traditional methods and address the root causes of criminality.

“Safeguarding our nation’s safety and security requires that we are proactive, innovative, and solutions-oriented in our approach,” the President said. He noted that the South African Police Service (SAPS), as a frontline institution, engages directly with communities on a daily basis and must be guided by Batho Pele principles, delivering high service standards, ensuring accessibility, consulting with the public, and treating all citizens with dignity and respect.

The President reiterated SAPS’s mission: to investigate and prevent crime, bring offenders to justice, address threats to public safety, and work towards resolving the underlying causes of criminal behaviour.

“Crime is both a cause and a symptom,” he said. “It weakens the social fabric and contributes to community instability. It also affects the economy, deterring investment, disrupting business activity, and increasing security costs.”

Ramaphosa highlighted societal issues that often lead to crime, including poverty, inequality, unemployment, patriarchy, and fractured family structures. “Addressing crime without understanding its root causes is like a doctor treating a fever without diagnosing the illness,” he said.

He welcomed the summit’s inclusive nature, noting the participation of government departments, civil society, community leaders, business, labour, and faith-based organisations. He stressed that since crime impacts every part of society, the response must be equally collective.

“Communities are our most powerful resource in fighting crime,” he said. He urged greater involvement of Community Policing Forums (CPFs) and encouraged citizens to take part in crime prevention through education, awareness, and neighbourhood initiatives. “This can no longer be seen as a supplementary effort, it is essential to an effective policing strategy.”

Ramaphosa also acknowledged the increasingly sophisticated threats facing the police, including organised crime, illegal mining, extortion syndicates, economic infrastructure theft, money laundering, and terror financing. Despite these challenges, he praised SAPS for achieving notable successes in its operations.

To build on these gains, he called for efforts to restore public trust, improve police-community relations, and support SAPS officers struggling with heavy workloads, limited resources, and outdated systems.

He pointed out that while the SAPS budget has increased over the past decade, the number of personnel has declined, even as the population has grown. “The resources of the police are stretched extremely thin. We must work smarter and make more effective use of what we have.”

Highlighting the importance of data in modern policing, the President said data must be analysed through a socio-economic lens to identify patterns and inform strategy. He cited examples such as the links between substance abuse and theft or alcohol abuse and gender-based violence, advocating for targeted interventions involving municipalities and community groups.

Ramaphosa expressed strong support for using modern technology to support police work, analyse crime trends, and improve engagement with the public. He welcomed the summit’s focus on digital tools, including mobile apps, online reporting systems, and virtual platforms to enhance access to SAPS services.

“There must be stronger collaboration between law enforcement agencies,” he added, noting the growing presence of organised criminal networks involved in drug manufacturing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, and public infrastructure theft. Specialised police units need intelligence support and traditional detective work, which requires greater inter-agency cooperation and information-sharing.

On corruption within law enforcement, the President said, “Corruption is a scourge that has touched every corner of our society, including the SAPS.” He reaffirmed government’s commitment to accountability, whistleblower protection, and the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. However, he stressed that deeper cultural change is needed.

“It’s not enough to prosecute corrupt officers. We must build a culture of integrity and professionalism in the police service,” he said, urging the summit to focus on ethical leadership, recruitment of quality candidates, rigorous training, and meaningful career development.

Ramaphosa concluded his speech with a firm call to action: “If SAPS is to fulfil its vital mandate, we must emerge from this summit with a concrete plan to address the systemic issues hampering policing.”

“As a country, we owe the SAPS our full support. As government, we are unwavering in our commitment to turning the tide against crime and creating safer communities for all South Africans.”

The summit is expected to result in actionable recommendations to reform policing, enhance partnerships, and restore confidence in South Africa’s law enforcement system.

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Summit participants must recognise that making the most effective possible use of SAPS financial resources is a priority. Since South Africa is a developing country, police responsibilities should not be based on assumptions about what police do in more affluent states.

One such assumption is that the SAPS must be generally visible. Countless South Africans, including senior politicians, endorse the vague assertion that there should be more police on streets throughout the country.

At its broadest, general visibility is the idea that police perform a useful role merely by being seen frequently by the public. The SAPS annual report tells us that, ‘Crime prevention operations aim to … improve visibility in all police station areas’ by measures such as roadblocks and patrols. This suggests that SAPS members should be visible everywhere, and that ‘being seen’ is important and useful.

There are no African countries where state police are able to perform general visible policing

In Western countries, research supports the idea that police visibility can improve public feelings of safety and confidence in the police. But even in London, only 29% of respondents said they saw police patrolling at least daily or weekly, while 46% said they saw police less than monthly.

Being ‘generally visible’ is a role that can only be assigned to police in affluent countries where police-to-population ratios are comparatively high, and the cost of police vehicles, fuel and officials to perform foot patrols can be covered. There are no African countries where the state police are able to perform this function.

Another problem in South Africa is confusion around the term ‘visible policing’, which may mistakenly be equated with ‘police visibility’. ‘Visible Policing’ is one of the SAPS’ five organisational programme names, but it is often used to refer to the work of ordinary uniformed police.

In the SAPS, ‘Visible Policing and Operations’ has the biggest budget allocation (53%) and most (56%) personnel (see table). There is good reason for ‘Programme 2: Visible Policing’ to be well funded. It provides most of the staff at South Africa’s 1 165 police stations, and includes the public order police and tactical units such as the Special Task Force.

Budget and personnel allocated to SAPS programmes, 2025/26 financial year Source: National Treasury, Estimates of National Expenditure 2025, Vote 28: Police

But apart from ‘being visible’, uniformed police officials have many other important roles, so expecting them to focus on the general visibility function is unrealistic. Moreover, this function can be performed by community patrollers or private security guards – as long as they are properly accountable to the SAPS, their local Community Policing Forum, or an appropriate arm of the municipal or provincial government.

That will enable uniformed police station-based SAPS members to prioritise targeted visible policing at high-risk times and in identified high-crime areas. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) research shows that this kind of policing can reduce serious violent crime. The project examined by the ISS involved patrols ‘focused on specific hotspots at times identified as high-risk through crime analysis, ensuring maximum impact.’ This is something trained SAPS members should do.

SAPS has recognised the advantages of coordinating rather than providing general police visibility

The SAPS’ role can also be strengthened by focusing on how uniformed SAPS members can intervene in conflict situations – whether in taverns or people’s homes – to prevent them from escalating into violence. Frequently, these tensions will point towards struggling parents or families, or problems like alcoholism or drug addiction.

In such cases, SAPS members should do more than consider arrests and criminal charges. Making referrals to other state and community agencies to address difficult family and community problems should become a routine part of what uniformed SAPS personnel do.

The presence of trusted community patrollers or security guards in shopping areas, townships and other suburbs can help the public feel safer from crimes such as robbery. But trained police officers should not be required to perform this relatively low-skilled function.

The SAPS has recognised the advantages of coordinating rather than providing general police visibility. In 2018, the Community in Blue project was started ‘to enhance police visibility, mobilise the community to collaborate with the police and maximise the police footprint’ without relying on its own personnel to perform this function.

Patrolling should be done by regulated and accountable community guards or security personnel

The latest SAPS annual report indicates that 32 112 Community in Blue patrollers are registered. But it says nothing about the project’s effectiveness or impact.

Caution is however needed if general visibility functions are to be performed by entities other than the police. Properly vetted Community Police Forums have an important role in managing and regulating community patroller groups. But poor control over these forums may compromise the patroller system.

Esther Padi of the Innovating Kasi Organisation told ISS Today that proper vetting of Community Police Forum leaders is often neglected, leaving the door wide open for criminal groups to influence these structures. Responsibility for vetting generally lies with SAPS station commanders.

Neither sections 205(3) nor 206(3) of South Africa’s constitution require the SAPS to provide visible policing. To ensure the effective use of police resources, SAPS should clarify that general visibility is not a service it must provide. This will enable police to focus on the relatively small proportion of the population causing the most harm – a worthy use of government expenditure on SAPS salaries.

If patrolling is needed, that should be done by regulated and accountable community guards or other security personnel.

This article was republished with permission from ISS Africa, the original article can be found here.

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