Question NW1111 to the Minister of Police

Reply:

(a) A consolidated, uniform approach to e-government is being developed by the Department of Telecommunication and Postal Services (DTPS). It would be prudent to address the question based on an understanding that the following qualities form the basis for e-government services:

• Focusing on efficiency gains in service delivery processes;
• Making government services more accessible to communities; and
• Improving inter-departmental interaction to ensure a streamlined service to the community.

The following projects will serve, inter alia, to demonstrate that e-government services are tangible and form an integral part of almost each and every corporate system that is in use in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The Network Upgrade Project is a multi-year, multi-million rand project to modernise the network infrastructure at all SAPS offices, focusing on police stations as the priority.

The modernised network results in faster computing time, thereby reducing the time the community members are required to spend in a Community Service Centre (CSC), while information is being captured on corporate systems.

The modernised network enables modernisation of systems such as the Investigation Case Docket Management System (ICDMS) and the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

With higher capacities, the systems can be enhanced to do more, work faster and to exchange and/or verify information, even between government departments, for example the verification of citizen data between SAPS and the Department of Home Affairs. This is an e-government service that benefits citizens indirectly.

Corporate Systems are being developed, enhanced and maintained, by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), on a daily basis. These systems all support the SAPS in day-to-day operations, ranging from crime administration systems, crime intelligence systems and corporate support systems. All these systems aim to support the qualities as mentioned above.

Below is a list of e-government services being rendered, but not having been specified as e-government services. The list is not an exhaustive list, but provides examples of e-government services which are integral to the day-to-day operations of the Division: Technology Management Services (TMS).

• The ICDMS administrative and investigative modules will ultimately lead to a paperless process where the case docket will be sent between departments in electronic format. This e-government service will lead to faster processing times, which should contribute to quicker resolution of cases.

• The SAPS webpage (www.saps.gov.za) currently has an e-government service where a citizen can enquire online about the status of their application for a Clearance Certificate. This is automated and the processing time has improved, as SAPS members do not spend their time answering enquiries, but rather spend it on executing the processes related to the Clearance Certificates.
• The e-Vetting system that is being utilised by SAPS internally, shortened the processing time to issue security clearances to SAPS members by Crime Intelligence, as everything is done online and not via a 10-page document.

• The Enhanced Firearm Registration System (EFRS) also promotes e-government services between SAPS and manufacturers and dealers of firearms. This ensures that the integrity of firearm information is reliable, as information is exchanged electronically.

• The implementation of the Central Supplier Database (CSD) reduces corruption as it ensures that when orders are issued to suppliers, ghost or shell companies are not used fraudulently as the requirements to be registered on the CSD are stringent. This enables faster payment to suppliers subsequent to goods and services having been rendered and minimises long payment cycles from government.

• Inter-departmental integrations are being managed through the Integrated Justice System (IJS) Board, where information exchange (between departments) is promoted using the Service Integration Business Architecture (SiBUS). This is an inter-departmental service which should eliminate duplication and therefore make processes more efficient in all relevant departments.

Most projects undertaken aim to address the qualities stated above. It is therefore not possible to isolate a cost factor associated purely with e-government services. SAPS corporate systems are being updated and enhanced on a daily basis, based on user requirements, as well as inter-departmental interfacing requirements. These services are rendered through the Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) between SAPS and SITA. The value of the Managed Applications SLA with SITA for 2016/2017, was R366 million. This includes all SAPS corporate systems, maintenance and support, as well as licensing costs for third-party software being utilised by SAPS.

(b) The budgeted cost for the Managed Applications SLA with SITA for 2017/2018 is R417 000 000, subject to final agreement between SAPS and SITA.