 
BUDGET SPEECH, DEPARTMENT FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, KWAZULU-NATAL, VOTE 9, 26 JULY 2004Speech by Mr BH Cele, MP, MEC for Safety and Security, KwaZulu-Natal
Mr Speaker Since becoming a democracy, South Africa has adopted the principles of accountability, transparency and accessibility. Civilian oversight of the police is one of the measures which the Constitution dictates to promote transformation and it is one of the key areas of policy change in the safety and security environment, the establishment of this department assists government in dealing with inefficient and ineffective policing and misconduct by the police. The department for safety and security is also entrusted with a liaison role which extends between the community and the police. NEW INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS Since the inception of this department, the public has never been clear in terms of what role we play in the province. We have been mistaken for a component of the South African Police Service and it is my intention to correct this misconception. The confusion arises, Honourable members, out of the name of this department. It is for this reason that I have set in motion the legal process for the change of the name of this department. It is therefore my pleasure to announce that we have proposed that the department be called: "Department for Community Safety and Liaison". This is also in line with the majority of our other provincial counterparts. The name appropriately describes the role we should be playing in this province. Together with the name change we will also be embarking on a process to change the logo of the department to one which is more suitable to our vision and mission. ORGANISATIONAL AND POLICING STRENGTH The province of KwaZulu-Natal has 183 police stations, seven policing areas and a personnel strength of 20 992 officials. In contrast, my department has a personnel strength of 38, comprising only 13 line function officials who carry out our constitutional mandate to monitor police conduct and promote good relations between the police and the community. The scenario is even worse when one is faced with the fact that two of these line function officials must attend to complaints against the police arising out of 183 stations. Over the past financial year, we have vigorously asserted our right to monitor the service delivery of the police, but how do we match the attainment of our objectives with the kind of resource limitations we have, which cripples our ability to provide even a decent level of oversight? We will need the support of this house to help us grow and develop our organization to meet basic standards of service delivery and for us to have the financial and human strength, to successfully deal with the concerns on policing from the people of KwaZulu-Natal. As the department begins to set its new strategic direction for the next five years, I will also be reviewing our organizational structure to bring it in line with our new strategic plans. This will most definitely involve bringing in an equitable strength of personnel to match the size of our tasks. We need to also remember that KwaZulu-Natal is the most populous province, having approximately 9,3 million people and access to all communities over our vast geographic terrain, must improve. CHANGING POLICY ENVIRONMENT Mr. Speaker, the White Paper on Safety and Security expires at the end of this year and in anticipation of this, the National Secretariat has established a Task Team that is reviewing all legislation and policy in the safety and security environment. This team is examining the possible integration of these into a Safety and Security Act. As such my department will be playing a critical role in setting the new policy direction for safety and security in the country. This will require extensive public consultation in the province and the department will have to make contact with communities to ensure that their representations are factored into our guiding documents. During August, Minister Charles Nqakula will be hosting a Safety and Security Lekgotla where policy issues will be deliberated. At the same time, Secretariats will be developing plans to re-strengthen their departments from a policy, process, people and financial perspective. Since I have taken up office, I have been visiting communities in KwaZulu- Natal to determine the community safety challenges that are faced in the province. I have visited every Policing Area since the 2nd of July 2004. I have addressed the management of the SAPS and the CPF’s and I have explained that there are no bosses, just responsibilities. We are here to serve the community and we are all servants of the community. ILLEGAL FIREARMS The existence of illegal firearms is a burning issue, particularly in a province with a history of political and other violence. South Africa is by no means the most crime-ridden country in the world. – we are rather criticized for having the most highest incidence of violence associated with various crimes. We are known as an aggressive and violent nation. This image must change. The proliferation of illegal firearms continues to grow and feed violence in our society. My department will therefore be calling on all sectors, all communities, people of all ages, to join us in the fight for de-armament. The Honourable Premier , in his State of the Province Address has directed my department to produce a comprehensive plan on addressing de-armament. The department will begin in July to examine registration processes and will closely monitor the police to ensure that the Firearms Control Act is being implemented. Furthermore, we will be looking at how the recovery of illegal firearms is being handled so that we may be sure that these firearms do not go back into circulation and use. The identified areas where de-armament will take place are:
Both personnel and financial resources will be mobilized around this programme for de-armament soon. We will also be proactively calling on all communities, through our social crime prevention programmes, to expose culprits in their communities that are brandishing illegal firearms. We believe that a massive social mobilization campaign is needed where every citizen of this country, young and old, white or black, man or woman, will understand the seriousness of this matter and will undertake their responsibility in terms of disclosing information to the police, discouraging children from buying toy guns and promoting a peaceful and gun-free society. Mr. Speaker, I am examining ways in which I can secure financial support to launch a Social Mobilisation Campaign on De-armament, very soon. This Campaign will call on all stakeholders who have a vested interest in the safety of our people and our visitors to the province, to join in a partnership against illegal firearms and the proliferation of firearms. The crime situation presents a threat to the hosting of major conferences in the province, and I have already initiated consultations with various role-players to ensure that we overcome this situation effectively. High crime and violence levels detract investors from our province and hinder any grand plans we have for economic growth, development, job creation and eradication of poverty. These are our provincial priorities and it is my duty to ensure that my department does everything in its capacity to promote the growth and development of KwaZulu-Natal. The ultimate beneficiaries will be our people in this province. KwaZulu-Natal must be a province where we can build economic prosperity for the secure future of all our children. MONITORING OF POLICE My other area of focus for the financial year, Mr. Speaker, will be on monitoring police efficiency and effectiveness as our Constitutional mandate dictates. For the first time, Secretariats have developed a generic monitoring tool which is being piloted in all provinces. This new tool will be used to evaluate the SAPS in 30 police stations. It is unfortunate that in the monitoring component of this department, I have only three officials who are responsible for evaluating 183 police stations in KwaZulu-Natal. The current budget allocation does not provide any room for the increase in human capacity which allows the department the opportunity to seriously and timorously address police oversight in KwaZulu-Natal. This situation exists despite the fact that everyday we read about concerns of the public over insufficient police resources and its impact on service to the community. COMMUNITY POLICING Partnership goes right to the heart of what is meant by community safety. Dealing with crime, violence and corruption requires even a morality-based response where every one of the people in this province can say that at some stage they did something to stamp out crime. Community Police Forums are also complaining about how fruitless their partnership with the SAPS is, because there are not enough resources to implement their recommendations for community safety. These forums know the problems in their areas and they have ideas and plans to address the problems – instead, they are faced with the crippling budget limitations of both the SAPS and my department. It is also true that whilst many police officers are willing to promote partnerships with communities, there are those who are still resistant to accepting the community as their partners in the fight against crime. This province should be very proud of the fact that it has maintained and grown its community policing philosophy and structures whilst those in other provinces are collapsing. We have a strong CPF leadership who have committed themselves to helping achieve safer communities. This year, we are unable to make a grant to the Community Policing structures due to our budget restrictions. It is indeed a sad day when we have to allocate just over R 200 000 only to promote good relations between the police and the community. This situation is untenable, particularly because we know that we have a history of poor relations between the police and the community – one that has been ridden by violence, human rights violation, suspicion and all forms of inequity. We are here to ensure that there is transformation of the police by entrusting the CPF’s with the responsibility to liaise with and negotiate their concerns about crime and safety with the police. We cannot say with certainty that after 10 years, we have achieved this. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN, CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY AND THE DISABLED Mr. Speaker, the increase in reported rapes and domestic violence in this province tells me that we are a very sick people. The rape of our infants and young children needs urgent attention. We need a moral regeneration programme that will begin at schools, be carried through our homes, offices and streets, which will eventually lead to an improved value system that is pervasive in all communities. Where did we go wrong – this is a question I often contemplate when I read that a father has raped his child, a brother has raped his sister, a grandson has raped his grandmother, a husband has raped his wife. We blame it on drugs, but drugs have always been a problem, why now are we on the rampage against our women and children. Why are we using our strength for the violation of rights and not for the protection of rights. Then there is the "double jeopardy syndrome" where a women or child has been beaten or raped and they are mistreated at the police station, moreover, by another male person in most cases. Where are our Victim Support Centres and Trauma Centres? My department will be liaising with various structures to examine ways in which we can have more trauma centres for crimes against women and children, particularly in the areas that most need it. We will also be conducting assessments of those Victim Support Centers and Trauma Centers that have been established at police stations. There are criminal elements in all sectors in our society who are preying on the weakest and unless we begin to close the gaps by defending them, we cannot claim to be serving our people. We need to establish those risk factors that are making vulnerable groups more susceptible to abuse and we need to provide a holistic response to their problems. YOUTH Children and youth constitute well over two thirds of the population of our province, representing a group that is made vulnerable to crime by a complex of risk factors. These risk factors, be they poverty, drugs, guns or the absence of protective social factors, disintegrates families and communities. The lack of education and employment opportunities for youth has to be addressed. My department has responded to the DPSA’s call for Learnerships and we will be trying to create more than the 1 % that is requested for compliance. As this is a growing department, I believe opportunities for job creation and for the employment of youth, can be exploited and achieved. My department has Youth Crime Prevention Pilot Projects which are based on deterrence against crime, providing skills and giving youth life-orientation training to cope with their present day challenges. This measure is intended to reduce risk factors and promote prevention and protection factors against crime. Youth are becoming the forgotten generation. Whilst we urge youth to seek skills and to complete their formal education, we must at the same time, be able to match this with job creation. CRIME TRENDS IN KWAZULU-NATAL The SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal remains challenged by the prevailing crime levels, particularly with regard to crimes of high priority, ie. Contact crimes such as murder, rape, assault GBH and robbery. These crimes account for 30% of the serious crimes in the province, however, the SAPS Policing Plan for 2004-2005 has set a target of reducing these crimes by between 7&10%. The stations that contribute to the largest volume of crime in KwaZulu-Natal are:
The crime distribution per policing area is as follows:
In total in the province, 38 stations have been identified as " high crime" stations. These stations will be clustered into Crime Combating Zones in order to enhance co-ordination and co-operation and to develop integrated approaches to addressing crime. Whilst in reality police are responsible for driving operational plans to reduce crime, there needs to be an active partnership of all sectors in society. Conventional policing alone will not solve the problem and therefore the SAPS will have three approaches to crime:
All institutions addressing social issues will have to give their support to the SAPS. POLICE KILLINGS Mr. Speaker, we have a new enemy of the state now, which is adding to our burden of poor resources. I am speaking of those animals that are killing our police officers and reducing our already limited SAPS strength. The statistics for police killings are as follows:-
I have a mission to hunt down these killers and ensure that they get the harshest sentence meted out for trying to break down the security of the state. I need the co-operation of every person living in this province to bring back the respect for law and the dignity of the police service. Police have a right to defend themselves , just like any other citizen and I encourage them to defend themselves – I do not advocate violence, but I recognize their human rights and I call for a human rights reaction to these killings. It is not just a crime against a person, it is a crime against the state! Whilst we recognize the challenges we face in terms of policing and those which the police themselves are facing, let us be optimistic and look to the positive aspects that will arise out of addressing these concerns. KwaZulu-Natal will be getting an increase of 1227 new officers and 275 civilians during 2004. There are presently 584 students in the Police College. Negotiations are underway to improve the salaries of police and bring them in line with the type of service they offer to the country as well as to align them to Public Service Standards. More Bullet Proof Vests are to be provided to the police as well. Ideally, I would like to see these positive measures accompanied by a policy that will allocate one vehicle per every two police officers so that we can have the human, financial and logistical support that is requisite to a well-performing police service in a democratic dispensation. Efforts are also underway to address educational and skills challenges that are present in the police service. GENDER REPRESENTIVITY IN THE SAPS A target has been set by the department for Public Service and Administration to have all government structures apply a 30% equity target in terms of the representation of women in government. Currently, the female representation in the SAPS. KwaZulu–Natal is as follows:
It is clear that women are not equitably represented in management and this situation has to change. My department will be negotiating with the SAPS to have oversight on all personnel appointments made in the province so as to monitor the implementation of national targets for gender representivity. CORRUPTION There are many examples of fine police officers in the province. There are those who are committed to serving their communities, to raising policing standards, and to sacrificing their lives for our comfort and safety. To these police officers, I offer my commendation. However, there is an element of corrupt police officers that are giving the rest of the service a very bad reputation. To these corrupt officers, be warned. We are going to hunt you down and deal with you in terms of the law and in terms of our own internal disciplinary procedures. These corrupt officers also tend to involve law-abiding community members in their corrupt practices. My department will be encouraging the community to expose these officers, and in doing so we hope to clean up the service and restore it to an acceptable level of dignity, decorum, respect and efficiency. PARTNERSHIPS The safety of our communities is not just entrusted to the police, it is everyone’s responsibility to prevent crime and to co-operate with the police in terms of detection and conviction. To this end, I will be calling on our business counterparts to support us in the struggle against crime. We need your help to roll out those plans which are urgent and in the interests of the common safety of our province. My department plans to host an "Indaba Against Crime" which will take place on 14 September 2004 in Durban. This Indaba will be supported by the private sector and all role-players will be called on to provide responses to the crime situation within their areas of responsibility. This province also desperately needs police stations, particularly in rural areas where access to police services is remote or non-existent. We invite business to help us build police stations, to help us even upgrade those that are poor so that when a person walks into the community service centre, they have a chair to sit on, a pen to write with and a decent cubicle to be attended in should they have sensitive information to discuss. We need proper rooms for the reception and handling of rape victims – one which has a couch to sit on, a washbasin, a cabinet where special forms are kept for recording the crime and where the rape kits are kept safely, a cupboard with some clothes and blankets, which the victim may need. These are things that business and community structures can help us address without having to wait each year for a bigger slice of the national budget while our victims continue to be humiliated by poor service. INTEGRATED JUSTICE SYSTEM There has to be some provincial dialogue between the Justice, Crime, Prevention and Safety and Security structures providing services in KwaZulu-Natal, so that we can begin to put into action the principles of co-operative governance and address the backlogs in service delivery holistically and comprehensively. Currently, at a national level, we have a Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster that meets and sets policy direction. How do we begin to act on this policy direction at a local level if we have no integrating mechanism? Clearly, there is a need for a multi-agency mechanism that will be a decision- making body established to promote better practice for improved safety levels. My department will also be monitoring the establishment of Special Courts and Community Courts, which the State President has spoken of. There is a definite need for innovative measures to relieve the burden on the criminal justice system and the prisons - the latter being over-populated for some time in the province. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNITY SAFETY The integration of effort must also filter through transport matters where the safety of our people are concerned. It is my humble submission that transport and safety matters are not divorced from each other – on the contrary, they are inter-dependent. I believe that Community Police Forums and Community Road Safety Councils can compliment one another in their efforts to bring safety to commuters and to eradicate taxi violence. This relationship will be explored by my department in the interests of integration of service delivery. Where we are limited, we need to pool our resources and our efforts to maximize the benefit to the community. We cannot simply sit back and complain, we must look at proactive means to forge partnerships that will help us close the gaps quickly and effectively. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to dedicate my inaugural Safety and Security budget speech to all role-players who have made an effort to "defend the weakest", particularly those who have lost their lives in doing so. I also wish to thank the management and officials of my Department and that of the SAPS Kwa Zulu-Natal for all their efforts in the crime and safety arena. At the same time, I want to emphasise that a democracy with a police service that has no civilian oversight, is incomplete and a democracy with a civilian oversight structure that is not adequately capacitated, is not serious about the safety of its people. This department has the power to influence the transformation of the police into an effective, respectable, people-orientated service – we just need the support of provincial government to help us expedite this process. Mr. Speaker, I hereby table the budget for the Department for Safety and Security, Vote 9, of R 15, 627 million for the 2004/2005 financial year. I thank you.
Programme 1: Administration The purpose of this programme is to conduct the overall management of the department, and to render administrative, financial and human resource support services to the department, namely management.
Programme 2: Civilian Oversight The purpose of this programme is to oversee the efficiency and effectiveness of the South African police Service in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
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