ATC160218: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Police on its Oversight Visit to police stations and specialised units in and around the Free State Province on 21-25 September 2015 dated 26 January 2015

Police

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Police on its Oversight Visit to police stations and specialised units in and around the Free State Province on 21-25 September 2015 dated 26 January 2015.
 

1. Introduction

The Portfolio Committee on Police conducted an oversight visit to the Free State province on 21- 25 September 2015. The purpose of the oversight visit was for the Committee to check on the compliance of specialised police units and police stations in and around the Bloemfontein area during the period 21 -25 September 2015.

 

1.1 Objectives of the visit

The objectives of the oversight visit to the Free State Province were to assess:

• The capacity and capability of specialised SAPS units in the province, including border control, public order policing unit, stock theft unit, VIP protection unit and the building projects by the SAPS; 
• service delivery at ground level;
• the implementation of the budget approved by Parliament;
• the implementation of the policy and legislation passed by Parliament; and
• the capacity and capability of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

 

1.2 Delegation

 

The delegation comprised of the following people:

 

Members of the Committee:

Hon. F Beukman (Chairperson)

Hon. J Maake

Hon. M Molebatsi

Hon. M Mmola

Hon. D Kohler Barnard

Hon. Z Mbhele

Hon. P Mhlongo

Hon. L Ramatlakane

 

Support Staff of the Committee:

Ms B Mbengo                                       -           Committee Secretary

Mr I Kinnes                                            -           Committee Content Adviser

Ms T Mabadlayana                                -           Committee Researcher

Mr K Dodo                                            -           Committee Assistant

Mr T Gabula                                          -           Principal Communication Officer

 

Civilian Secretariat for Police

Mr S Mahote                                         -           Parliamentary Liaison Officer

Ms S Samuels                           -           Complaints Monitoring

 

Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID)

Mr I Kgamanyane                                  -           Acting Executive Director

 

1.3 Locations Visited

 

The following locations were visited by the Committee:

• Maseru Bridge Border Post : 22 September 2015
• Public Policing Unit, Selosesha, Thaba Nchu : 23 September 2015
• Botshabelo Police Station: 23 September 2015
• VIP Protection Unit, Bloemfontein: 23 September 2015
• Park Road Police Station , Bloemfontein: 24 September 2015
• Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit, Bloemfontein: 24 September 2015
• Stock Theft Unit, Bloemfontein: 24 September 2015
•  Turflaagte Kopanong R&U: 24 September 2015
• Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Bloemfontein: 25 September 2015
• Unannounced visit to the Provincial flash Unit, 25 September 2015

 

 

2. Maseru Border Post

The Chairperson opened the meeting and welcomed the new Provincial Commissioner, General Simon Mpembe. He noted that it demonstrated a positive attitude when the Provincial Commissioner made himself available during the oversight visit of the Committee. He indicated that it was the second Border Post visited by the Committee after the Lebombo Border Post and that Parliament was working on a public holiday. He also welcomed delegates from the Civilian Secretariat for Police (CSP) and the IPID.

 

2.1 SAPS Briefing

In his briefing to the Committee, the Provincial Commissioner reported that the border post is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The fixed establishment provides that there should be 98 staff members of which 57 were appointed under the SAPS Act. The rest were employed under the Public Service Act (PSA). In total 86 of the members were from the Visible Policing (Vispol) component and there were no Crime Intelligence component at the Border Post. The SAPS were using the Ladybrand Crime Intelligence component to assist and the Dog unit was also attached to the Ladybrand police station. The average years of experience of warrant officers is six years while that of constables attached to the Border Post is five years.  

 

    2.1.1 Equipment

The Commissioner reported that not all equipment was used at the Border Post especially the Phazir drug testing equipment as it was provided without training. They have had the equipment for about a year and only use it when required to. After a year the equipment was taken to the provincial supply chain management (SCM) for checking. There is no truck scanners and they have seven vehicles of which two vehicles are in a poor condition and two are in the SAPS garage for repairs. There is a shortage of five vehicles. The SAPS has 17 houses and 10 barracks rooms for member accommodation at the Border Post. The SAPS provided the Border Control Operational Co-ordinating Committee (BCOCC) estimates and reported that 114 illegal immigrants were arrested and that there was 5 criminal cases for serious assault reported. The second case for common assault was sent to the IPID for investigation. The BCOCC was operational at the Border Post and comprised of the Departments of Home Affairs, South African Revenue Services (SARS), Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, Cross Border Road Traffic Management Corporation and the SAPS.

Some of the challenges include the fact that the network reception was very poor for communication signals and that as a result the hand held Max ID equipment malfunctioned. There were too many taxis at the entrance to the post making access difficult, especially for trucks and the roads were not maintained. Other challenges included the fact that the drug analysing equipment did not work and that the interface with the IT system (e-docket system) was not operational.

Members raised questions and concerns about the back-up generator and the staff allocation. The SAPS responded that there was 18 staff members per shift. During peak period such as the festive season and Easter holidays, they are assisted  by the Operational Response Services. The Land Port of Entry is divided into seven duty sectors and the SAPS cannot manage all as they have to cater for leave of members. The priorities are the Main gate, control room, departures, departure gate, arrivals searching port, inner and outer perimeters, and the pedestrian point. Group 36 of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is assisting.

As far as vehicles were concerned, there were only two vehicles in the garage and they managed to do patrols with the rest of the vehicles. They are assisted by the SANDF with patrolling the outer perimeter and the borderline. The SAPS visits the garages once per month to check on progress with the vehicles. The first order of vehicles has been delivered to the Supply Chain Management division and will be allocated in November 2015.

In view of 3,5 million pedestrians crossing the border annually (with the majority crossing in December and Easter), the SAPS request support from other units and departments over these periods. The matter of the truck scanners was escalated to the provincial office. Sniffer dogs were used in joint operations and sourced from the Ladybrand K-9 unit and the SARS. The goods train was not always searched and members of the borderline check the train with sniffer dogs. There were also scanners for pedestrians which were owned by the SARS. The Commissioner reported that in view of the extra members to its fixed establishment, the extra members were helpful for emergencies. Training was crucial and over 57 of its members were trained during 2014/15. Relief commanders were also sent for training.

Members expressed concern about the fact that the drug analysis equipment was not working and that staff members had not been trained to operate the equipment. Members also expressed concern that so few people were arrested.

The SAPS indicated that the matter of the drug analysis equipment was escalated to the provincial office and that most people were arrested by the SANDF and were taken straight to the police station. Other illegal immigrants were not coming through the Maseru land Port of Entry. There was only one intelligence operation and there were two cases of assault against the SAPS, one of which was recorded at Ladybrand police station.

Members wanted to know about the condition of the houses occupied by the SAPS and staff morale at the border post. They also questioned the integration of operations between the different departments operational at the border post.

 

            2.1.2     Truck scanners

The SAPS responded by indicating that the matter of a budget for truck scanners were raised at the national management forum in the SAPS, but that this had been delegated to the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster. The truck scanner should be bought as a collective effort of all departments and the Beit Bridge border post remains the first priority for such a scanner.  The morale of staff members were fluctuating and it was being addressed by the provincial management. The lack of equipment was a legitimate concern but it would be fully addressed with the establishment of the Border Management Agency as immigrants were flocking to Bloemfontein. The BCOCC did not have legal standing and there were specific functions that could not be handed over by the police. Trucks are processed by the Customs and Excise section of the South African Revenue Services. The SAPS reported that even if there was truck scanners at the border post, it could only process five trucks per day. It required that the installation of truck scanners would necessitate the rebuilding of the border post.

The Committee expressed concern that the SAPS appeared to be preparing for the worst case scenario rather than be forward looking and innovative.  

The SAPS reported that the Inspectorate last visited the Maseru Border Post in June 2015.    

The SAPS are not using night vision binoculars and all the offices have air conditioners. Stock theft units conduct arrests with respect to stock theft on the border. The administration and checking of abridged certificates are providing some challenges at the Border Post.

 

            2.1.3   Relationships with other departments   

The Committee questioned the relationship that SAPS has with other departments on the border and the response was that there is full co-operation from all departments. There are weekly operations involving all role-players and when there is a need for assistance, the SAPS calls on other departments. The SAPS also plan operations when fewer people are coming through the border with all relevant units such as the stock theft and motor vehicle units. There is also continuous deployments with 48 members assisting the Port of Entry.  Security vetting is a challenge and should be a transversal management issue as there are gaps in communication with some departments. While there is effective participation of other departments such as the Department of Home Affairs, there was a tacit agreement that the SAPS will never really be fully appraised of the real challenges as the capacity of the Home Affairs Department is one of the key challenges.    

       

            2.1.4     SARS / Customs and Excise

The SARS reported that as far as the facilitation of trade was concerned, a new revenue collection system was introduced in Lesotho on 22 August 2015. In terms of the procedures on the South African side of the border, a declaration needs to be made on the border and then the trucks have to proceed to Lesotho. They have to await the right to proceed to Lesotho and in the process, there is a build - up on the South African side of the border. This is also because there is insufficient parking on the Lesotho side of the border. The processing is very slow and causes congestion at the Border Post. The SARS noted that there is a need for a truck stop facilities on the SA side of the border.

This was a concern because it did not contribute to facilitating trade effectively between the countries. Lesotho was reliant on imported petroleum, groceries, fruit and vegetables from South Africa, while South Africa imported clothing, textiles, wool and mohair from Lesotho. If the trucks were cleared, it took less than 15 minutes to process.

The SARS reported that they have a Technical Intervention Unit and a Customs Post Clearance Team that has its own operational plans. SARS will also raise penalties if their clients do not comply with the necessary procedures. They also reported that they are working flexi hours which are informed by the risks, as it does not serve the purpose for them to stay outside. The staff compliment consist of a branch manager and operational manager with four shifts. The customs section is currently undergoing a restructuring exercise.

 

            2.1.5     Home Affairs Department

The Department reported that their mandate is to process travels with departures and arrivals at the border post. They also issue permits to mineworkers and provide immigration services and they have an inspectorate unit looking into illegal foreigners in the country and check on documents.

Challenges include inconsistencies with computers which is overloaded and regularly are offline. They do not have enough staff members and although they have 30 workstations, it is not fully staffed. There are 15 staff members per shift and there are too many detainees in detention facilities. It takes up to two weeks just to process and the Correctional Services and police face an influx of illegal foreigners.

           

            2.1.6     Member concerns

Members were concerned with a number of issues ranging from the functioning of the BCOCC, lack of equipment such as truck scanners, the length of time trucks with perishable cargo spend in waiting, and the low levels of arrests. In particular, the Committee was dissatisfied with the fact that the drug testing equipment was not operational although it was purchased for the 2010 World Cup and was never really used. Members raised concerns about the fact that due to the absence of truck scanners, there was no guarantee that the contents of trucks were really checked when entering the country and wanted assurances that this would be done. 

 

            2.1.7     SARS Responses

The SARS responded that there are daily, weekly and monthly meetings of the BCOCC and that it was functioning effectively. The members of the BCOCC responded that as soon as the trucks are cleared, it goes to the SA hub. They wait for an instruction from the Maseru side of the border in order for the truck to proceed. Of concern was the fact that the SARS was dependent on risk engine which was designed to eliminate victimisation. Livestock and perishable cargo are prioritised and they engage with their counterparts on the Lesotho side of the border.

Checking the trucks are dependent on the risk engine instruction. They reported that it was the client’s responsibility to unpack the trucks and 20% of the goods were inspected. The SARS has a Criminal Investigations Team who does investigations and performs arrests depending on the complexity of the case. Trucks and goods are also detained and the Risk Management System is designed for the release of such trucks and goods to take place.

The Risk Management System deals with high risk goods that is captured on the database. The system determines the quantity and estimates its value and then flags it for inspection. Despite this, inspectors have the discretion to determine whether to conduct an inspection.

 

            2.2        Public Order Police Unit (Selosesha)

The Chairperson opened the meeting by noting that it was the second oversight visit by the Committee to a Public Order Police (POP) unit in view of the fact that the POPs was a focus area of the State of the Nation address. The Committee was therefore keen to ascertain the state of the POPs and some of the challenges that was confronted by it.

 

            2.2.1     SAPS presentation

The Deputy Provincial Commissioner of the Free State province reported that the unit was started in 1986 as a sub-unit of the Unit 17. In 1990 it became a fully-fledged unit with 160 members and 5 clerks. In 2011 there were three platoons with 2 captains and 65 members. It was sent to the Selosesha Cluster. The Cluster consisted of 234 members of which 213 were operational members and 21 operational support staff. The Alpha Company was based in Bloemfontein and the Bravo Company was set up in Selosesha. There was one platoon on standby at any one time.

The Bravo Company had two information gatherers and two video operators attached to it. All the administration of the unit was done from Bloemfontein. The unit was responsible for transporting dangerous criminals and other crime prevention operations in the cluster. It is responsible for policing seven clusters (Park Road, Selosesha, Mangaung, Koffiefontein, Ladybrand and Trompsburg) and 42 stations in the Southern Free State.

One of the challenges is that the Bravo Company has no females attached to it because none was recruited at the time. Although the fixed establishment provides for 127 members, there is clearly a surplus of members which totals 234. The Company has policed 209 incidents of which 182 were peaceful and 27 were unrest incidents for the period 1 April 2015 to 1 August 2015. In August 2015 a work-study investigation was commenced with the objective of enhancing the unit in order to re-establish it with 197 members based on operational model 3.

229 members have been trained in crowd management while the unit has 17 vehicles including 6 Nyala vehicles. The rest are soft top vehicles. There are 15 vehicles in the garage and the unit has sufficient shields with a few being broken as a result of crowd control operations. Most of the Nyalas have broken down and are unreliable. During the time of the oversight visit, there was only one operational Nyala available for inspection.

Members of the Committee raised a number of concerns with the unit management with respect to its structure, equipment and operations. With respect to the Farlam Recommendations, the Committee wanted to know whether the recording of communication was provided for. One of the key issues was whether the members were trained in the new national instruction (4/2014) on Public Order Policing. The SAPS reported that all provinces received training in the new national instruction. In addition, the equipment was discussed, procured and the video recording equipment was distributed. The audio recording equipment have been procured and distribution would be completed very soon.

The Committee requested that the SAPS provides the distribution dates and training details in the new national instruction.

 

            2.2.2     Vehicles

The SAPS reported that there were 40 Nyalas available in the province and 15 were in the garage. The Bravo Company at Selosesha were allocated six, of which four were in the garage. The Committee was informed that there were no replacement parts available for the Nyalas as the vehicles were over 25 years old. The SAPS garage had been in contact with the manufacturers and they have had no joy. The SAPS reported that a new maintenance bid was closed for consideration.  In total, the country had 430 Nyalas of which a decision was taken that 200 would be kept in operation.

The SAPS assured the Committee that the operational efficiency of the unit has not been compromised as a result of the vehicles as they have some vehicles that are operational and can call on others from other POP centres nationally. A meeting was recently held to discuss the fixed establishment and the newly established POP units. The age of members would also be taken into consideration when the restructured unit will be re-launched. The information gatherers have to attend section 4 meetings and collaborate with crime intelligence.

The Free State province bought over 5000 vehicles in the last three financial years, but the budget was reduced by 10% for the current financial year. This was contrasted to a growing population which was a serious concern. In this respect, the SAPS was trying to minimise the boarding of vehicles and they require 4X4 vehicles as a result of the terrain. The odometer was also not the only deciding factor when replacing vehicles. They also looked at the needs of the various units.

Committee members wanted more information on the 40 hour flexi-shift system for POP members. The SAPS informed that the POP units work in a seven day cycle with two days off in order to have a platoon available at any one time. They also noted that their members are part of a provincial project to collect buccal swabs from all inmates in prison. The detectives have been trained to collect the swabs after POPS members take the buccal swabs. There are two members who have not attained firearm competency certificates. As a result they are not allowed to carry firearms. Responding to cross border-crime is part of the mandate of POPs, but remains a secondary function. The POPs unit prioritises the most serious unrest incidents when multiple incidents of public disorder takes place on the same day.  

The fixed establishment was given at the beginning of the year and there were instances where the actual staff establishment is higher than the fixed establishment allows for. The provincial management is attempting to reduce the numbers and down-manage the figure by 50%.

The RT46 agreement on garaging for the SAPS was problematic and a meeting was called as they could not continue with the number of vehicles in the garage. As a result there are not enough inspectors and suppliers and the SAPS are taking legal steps against the service providers. The SAPS informed the Committee that they were dissatisfied with the RT 46 as they do not provide a dashboard for a three quote system and service delivery is negatively affected as a result. The problem of driver abuse is also being addressed.

It was noted that that the National Commissioner engaged the National Treasury on the purchasing of new Nyala vehicles which costs R3-4 million each.

The Chair was concerned that there was no short term solution available to the SAPS.

           

            2.2.3     Training of members

 Platoon commander training courses were held. The Captains were trained as platoon commanders and the use of a 40mm grenade launchers. The equipment needed would be delivered on 30 September 2015. Eighty percent of the members were over the age of 45 and were very experienced people. Most of them have been trained on crime prevention operations. The unit uses radios as they do not have cellphones in view of the fact that all administration is undertaken at the Bloemfontein base. Members were also informed that the cameras that were recently procured were the best as each province submitted names of people who would be on a panel for the equipment. They have not made final decisions yet, but are in the process of discussing the Farlam recommendations. There are no barracks and members stay at their homes.

A new anti-corruption unit was launched and they conducted training workshops in the province to address corruption and empower detectives to deal with corrupt members.

The Chair thanked members of POPs and stated that the interaction was fruitful. He was concerned that there were not adequate career paths and upward mobility for POP members. He noted that there should be the necessary recognition for the difficulties they work under and the leadership must ensure that there is enough staff and equipment available together with adequate intelligence.

 

            3.         Botshabelo Police Station

In opening the oversight visit the Chairperson conveyed the Committees’ condolences to the families of the police officers who died in Kroonstad.

 

            3.1        SAPS station profile

The SAPS station commander was appointed on 1 October 2014. Botshabelo police station is not an accounting station and the station has recently advertised the post of section commander for Visible Policing. The station has 13 holding cells and one mortuary which is administered by the Department of Health. There are only four active reservists and the station has been granted 127 staff members on the fixed establishment, but has 191 actual members. This is made up of 123 Vispol members, 34 detectives and 31 support staff. The Fixed Establishment provides for 88 Vispol members, 30 detectives and 29 support staff members. There are clear staff surpluses with regards to human resources at the station. This is made up of 169 members appointed under the SAPS Act and 22 members appointed under the Public Service Act. The station has five vacancies and a surplus of one vehicle. Most sick leave is taken in April every year.

 

The SAPS provided the following priority crimes which showed increases for April - August 2014 compared to April - August 2015:                                   

                                                        2014      2015

Crimen Injuria                                        36         51

Kidnapping                                           3          4         

Theft of/ and from motor vehicles          14         37        

Theft (other)                                          102       109

Malicious damage to property    100       114

Fraud                                                    33         59

 

According to the SAPS amongst the reasons for the increase in crime are large open spaces, abuse of liquor and lack of parental guidance. People also tend to leave valuable items in their vehicles which give rise to opportunistic crimes and theft out of motor vehicles. In terms of the provincial crime portfolio, contact crime has not significantly increased while property and economic crime categories have shown increases.

Hotspot areas for intervention in Sector 1 include the H and G sections, Reohala section in Sector 2 and A, B and E sections in Sector 3. SAPS placed the detection rate at 62.16%, the trial ready rate at 92.48% and the conviction rate at 82.76%. There are 34 detectives at the station and 31 have been trained. The station has four sectors in terms of national instruction 3/2013 for sector policing. There are deployment hotspots and the station has partnerships with security companies.

 

            3.2        Committee Concerns

Members of the Committee expressed a number of concerns about service delivery at the station with respect to robberies and gang activities and how they were policed. Other areas of concern raised was the fact that the station had almost exhausted its budget for detectives and spent about 96.45% of its budget halfway through its financial year. The station had a surplus of staff members but could not do 24 hour deployments. Members also raised issues of the experience of detectives and the capacity of vehicles for patrols in the community. The issue of absenteeism at the station was questioned by the Committee and the fact that the targets were lower than those set in 2014. Of particular concern was that it appeared that the station did not manage the reservist contingent very well and that there were only four reservist left at the station. Members questioned to what extent the community police forum (CPF) was involved in assisting the police, what the relationship with the station was and how often the station held meetings with the community. The Committee asked that the station commander produce his performance agreement and what the relationship with the unions at the station was. The station was asked to produce the complaints register and indicate how many lost dockets it had for the last three financial years.

 

            3.3        SAPS Responses

Corruption cases were investigated by a specialised investigations unit and there was no progress report at the time of the visit. There are gangs in the Free State and there is a Free State gang prevention plan for the various sectors. The problem was that most gang members were children without supervision or parental care. In some cases the parents of the children passed on and with no income, the boys who make up the gang commit crime as a group.

The SAPS noted that they occasionally conduct operations in which they target particular homes and the situation in the community was one of calm and has largely been contained. Gang violence was prevalent and has now been contained to two station precincts and due to better policing, it has emerged elsewhere in the Free State. There is no gang unit, but a task team is dealing with the issues arising out of violence perpetrated by gangs. The station commander reported that all the vacancies at the station were managerial positions which have not been filled for a long time. The satellite station caused the deviation from the fixed establishment and the detectives are short by only one or two members. The station was recently allocated replacement posts as they had to reprioritise some of the posts. In addition, the Provincial Crime Combatting Forum (PCCF) meets weekly to assess and assist stations that were not represented. The station commander noted that the fixed establishment process was working much better than the Resource Allocation Guide (RAG). The structure at the station ballooned because of the RAG.

The station commander reported that the members were doing foot patrols to increase visibility. Most of the vehicles were at the SAPS garages and the station was allocated 16 vehicles. As far as the calculation of targets were concerned, the station reported that the targets were determined by the National Head Office. The capacity of detectives were five detective officers who were experienced, two warrant officers and two sergeants who were all experienced officers. The detective component were experiencing an outflow of detectives as three had left the station. The detectives were using vehicles with high mileages because they have to look for suspects, interview witnesses and debrief informers.

There have been 10 disciplinary cases with eight investigations having been completed while two were still under investigation at the time of the visit. Two or three members have repeated absenteeism and as a result of this, the relief commander was asked to visit them on a regular basis to reduce the absenteeism.

The station commander reported that a moratorium was placed on the recruitment of reservists and those people who are employed were not eager to support the SAPS. There are 129 members who have been declared competent to use firearms at the station and they conduct regular shooting practices. The station had 19 people in the cells, the majority who were illegal immigrants. The cells accommodate between six and seven people, and one cell is not working. There are regular meetings held with the CPF to promote crime awareness through the sector crime forum meetings. The CPF chairperson reported that the relationship with the SAPS is good and that there were regular meetings held with the community. The relationship with the unions POPCRU and SAPU was also constructive and good.

There were no missing dockets at the station and out of 160 members, 129 were declared competent in firearm proficiency. The station commander reported that there were lots of illiteracy at the station as a result of the integration of the kitskonstabels.

As far as complaints against members of the SAPS were concerned, there were three outstanding cases. Two investigations were completed and there are no reference numbers for when the complaints were first registered. There are also no case numbers.

Of concern to the Committee was the fact that the performance of the detectives was not good and that it had exhausted 96% of its budget halfway through the financial year. The station commander and the cluster commander was extensively questioned about their management role and why they did not inform the province about the situation earlier. The Cluster Commander was questioned about how often he visited the station, what support he provided to the management and why he did not pick up that there were problems with the budget of the detectives. He responded that he picked up the matter in August and called a cluster support meeting when he heard about the budget.

The Chairperson expressed his displeasure at the fact that it appeared that Cluster Commander was not visiting the station regularly and that he was providing leadership to the station cluster. He requested that the station commander must provide the Committee with all copies of correspondence where the budget of the detectives are addressed. The Deputy Provincial Commissioner stated that she became aware of the problem a week before the oversight visit and instructed that the station should apply for overspending. There were no regular budget control meetings as the provincial budget was standing at 31% when it should have been at 42%. They were waiting for national head office to respond to the request for overspending. The Chairperson noted that nowhere in the crime profile was gangs placed as a priority for the station or the cluster and the Cluster Commander was based at Selosesha.

The station and cluster commanders were asked to make available a report to the Committee by 25 September 2015 detailing the issues raised by the Committee on the budget and the cluster management.

 

 

 

            4.         Free State VIP Protection Unit

The Committee visited the VIP Protection Unit to ascertain its progress and efficiency. The Committee also identified the VIP Protection unit as a key cog in the Justice and Security cluster. In opening the meeting, the Chairperson expressed his displeasure that the lifts to the building was not working and three of the Committee members were unable to walk up six floors due to health reasons. The Chairperson expressed his condolences to the family of a member of the unit that was killed the previous evening in an accident between Kroonstad and Vaal, and another member that was injured in the crash. He noted that it was important for there to be a career path for every member and he further noted that the Committee was concerned about the wellness of members of the Unit.

 

            4.1        SAPS Presentation

The Provincial Head for the Protection and Security Services (PSS), Brigadier Ntshea reported that in terms of the fixed establishment, the strength of the unit was 197 SAPS Act members and 42 PSA staff members giving it a total strength of 239. In terms of the training of VIP members, 29 members have not completed the driving test. The members will move from static security to the VIP unit if they pass their driver’s test. Two members have not completed the modular incident management course. The unit has undergone firearm training and 72 members have been declared competent to use firearms. There are 42 vehicles and seven support vehicles of which five has been boarded and 37 are serviceable.

There are 72 desktop computers and the unit is assisting the Northern Cape with four people and provides four members for National Key Point duty in the Free State. Eleven evaluations were conducted by the unit and another seven must still be completed.

Some of the challenges facing the unit was vehicles that are in the SAPS garages as a result of being out of its maintenance plans and require services together the RT 46.  The building presented a particular problem for members as pregnant women has tremendous difficulty walking up the six flights of stairs to get to work. It poses a health and safety risk as there is no back-up generators, no lifts and no water in the building. The bills have not been paid and when it rains, there are leaks which damages the office furniture, which cannot be repaired or moved.

Committee members were concerned that the safety of the police officers in the building and wanted to know who moved them there. Members also questioned the veracity of media reports relating to abuse of officers by political principals. Members also wanted to know where the canine unit was based.

The SAPS reported that after the newspaper reports, a meeting was convened with all staff members who were affected by the working conditions. The meeting was held on 30 July 2015 where all the personal assistants of VIP’s attended and members raised their concerns. The head of the unit also met with all VIP’s and raised their concerns about working late hours, being on standby and the movement of VIP’s through the province. It affected the health of members and tired members were a safety hazard. The Employee Health and Wellness division was approached to address members and offer services. The Canine unit was based at the Park Road SAPS which was three kilometres away. There has been no reported criminal activity amongst members and the VIP Protection unit make regular use of the canine unit.

 

 

            4.2        ABSA/ VIP Building

In reply to questions from Committee members, the SAPs reported that their Supply Chain Management (SCM) Division ascertained that the building contract was due to end in 2017. One officer was trapped in the lift and on another occasion, an officer was hurt when the lift fell. There is no building maintenance taking place and the Committee was informed that the building was condemned as unsuitable for human occupation. The contract was signed despite the management knowing this. The SAPS is currently looking for an alternative place for the unit and the matter of the building lease and non-maintenance of the building was given to the Legal Services Division to pursue. It was noted that the MEC for Police in the Province regularly visited, but also had a disability.

In discussion about the building, Members expressed concerns about the state of the building and the conditions under which the officers must work.

 

            4.3        Relationship between VIP and Protectors

The relationship between the VIP and Protectors was discussed and the SAPS reported that sometimes the VIP indicated that they did not want particular protectors. Two protectors are deployed to the VIP with one off per week. There were no grievances tabled by officers.  During induction officers are introduced to the VIP. The officer must fill out a VIP profile within a week and a service delivery meeting is held every three months to assess the levels of service delivery. Police officers attached to the unit are also subject to a model of ethics and confidentiality. The officers are assigned to training and the EHW are engaged for psychological support. There is a 24 hour number available to officers for assistance. 

The Chairperson thanked members of the PSS Division for their assistance during the oversight visit. He indicated that the building was unacceptable and that the Committee will consider calling the two Divisional Commissioners for SCM and PSS to account for the state of the Free State VIP building.

 

            5.         Park Road SAPS

The Committee visited the Park Road SAPS station and was officially welcomed by the station management. The Committee and proceeded directly to the various components to check on the compliance with all the necessary prescripts and regulations.

            5.1        Findings

            5.1.1     Station Profile and Administration

Park Road Police station is a Brigadier level station and is the biggest in the province. They are looking forward to the appointment of the deputy station commander. The Station commander has been at the helm for two years. The station was built in 1935, serves 126 000 people, and deal with five language spoken in the province (Sesotho, Afrikaans, Tswana, English and Xhosa). The station has 535 staff members.

The crime profile shows that the following are priority crimes in the station precinct:

• Burglary at residential premises
• Theft out of motor vehicle
• Assault common
• Robbery
• Theft of motor vehicle
• Theft

The station performance has slightly improved as it is ranked 92 out of 110 stations. Two years ago it was ranked at 98 out of 110 stations. There is a field training officer based with 34 years of experience based at the station and the physical fitness of 20 staff members were assessed. A total of 328 members have been declared proficient to handle firearms and the reaction time is 29 minutes to deal with complaints.

There are problems with incorrectly formulated charges, poor statement taking in the community service centre. The matter was discussed in the station’s management team (SMT) meetings and addressed on parades with members. The station commander attends weekly parades and SMT meetings. Members could not find proof of the EWH debriefing and trauma counselling services provided. They found that the EHW people were never available. The nearest psychological support services is at the provincial office.

There are two satellite police stations which have been operating for the past ten years. There have been visits from the Provincial Evaluation Services, SAPS Inspectorate Division and internal Audit Services to the station. The station has relationships with other government departments and private security providers. There are challenges with the Department of Public Works and the Home Affairs Department.

The Members were alerted to poor relations with and challenges in the relationship with the unions POPCRU and SAPU at the station due to the labour forum. There are no regular meetings held. Not a single meeting was held with the labour forum. The CPF at the station is functional and meets regularly. The community cites poor service delivery on the part of the police and the morale and confidence the community has in the police is low. There are minutes and attendance registers of CPF meetings. There is a neighbourhood watch in sector 5 which patrols the community together with the police. Community complaints against the police is about lack of visibility and feedback on complaints. The taverns are also close to each other and the schools.

 

            5.1.2     Community Service Centre (CSC)

The station is very old, but well maintained, clean with clear signage. There are ramps for people with disabilities and it is close to public transport facilities. Members in the CSC wear their nametags, but it is obscured under their bullet proof vests. The station has a victims support centre and is in the process of recruiting two volunteers. The Domestic Violence Register is in place and there is a list of organisations with support services. Police vehicles do not have national instructions and station orders in any of the vehicles. There have been 609 DVA incidents in the previous financial year and 289 dockets opened. The station has not recorded any complaints for non-compliance. The victim support centre also has a list of child care facilities and no children have been detained.

The station has a designated firearms officer and members have been trained in firearm competency. The station do not have its own shooting range and the average waiting time for a firearm licence is two months.  There are 197 second hand dealers in the station precinct. The station has 545 allocated staff on the fixed establishment with 538 actual staff members. There are 20 reservist of which three are active. There is a problem with absenteeism at the station with 8 members who have regular absenteeism having been reported to the EHW section for intervention. Fourteen members have been charged with misconduct and unpaid leave captured for the said absence. Absenteeism are mostly over weekends, month end and during the night shift.

 

            5.1.3     Training

There are 62 managers who have been trained on the Commissioned Officers Learning Programme (COLP) with 42 having completed executive management courses. Ninety seven officers were trained on the Domestic Violence Act; 79 attended a one day workshop, 18 attended a training of Trainers workshop; 30 were trained on the National Instruction; and one was trained on the Second Hand Goods Act.

There have been three grievances lodged by officers and one has been resolved. It concerned the payment of overtime and one application for a vacant post. On average it takes about two months to resolve a grievance. There are 26 cases of misconduct at the station and one case involving fraud and corruption.

The station has 104 vehicles which is sufficient and suitable for the terrain. There have been 35 accidents with the vehicles and 6-9 vehicles are used for community responses. One of the key concerns was that student constables did not come with bullet proof vests and their own firearms. Thirty eight vehicles were boarded and the station required 12 additional vehicles for detectives. A total of 196 members at the station do not have driver’s licences and 30 members have been charged with non-compliance on the DVA. There are also problems with vehicles that are returned from police garages after repairs with spare wheels stolen.

 

            5.2        Detectives

The detectives are housed on the 5th and 6th floors of a temporary building. There are no data lines, no telephone lines and the lifts are not working. The building which houses the detectives, the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation, the Local Criminal Records Centre and the FCA is owned by the Michael Georgios Trust. The building is not well maintained, the lifts don’t work, the lights are faulty, and the air conditioners do not work. The office furniture is old and the open plan scenario is not conducive to interviewing suspects, witnesses and victims of crime.

The total number of dockets are 6426 and the average case load is 102. The highest case load is 260 and the smallest case load is 30. There are 96 detectives, but 14 are allocated to other units and two are deceased. The station requires 14 more detectives. The average years of experience of detectives is between 10 -14 years and the average age is 35 years. The youngest detective is 22 years and the oldest is 58 years. 94 detectives have completed the introductory course to investigation and there are 5-6 opportunities for training per year. Two detectives are allocated per vehicle and there is no shortage of vehicles for detectives.

The detection rate for contact crimes is 43.43% for the previous financial year. The average detection rate for rape is 100 %; murder is 46.6 %; property crime 13.21 %; and assault GBH is 68.84 %. The average conviction rate for the previous financial year for rape is 100 %; murder 84.6 %; property crime 83.33 %; and assault GBH is 61.73%.

There are 37 IPID cases for the Park Road cluster. Three of the cases are related to discharge of firearms and 97% of all cases are common assault which is very high. The Committee raised concerns about the high rate of assaults and the SAPS noted that the matter was identified by the management as a problem. In order to manage the problem, SAPS members have been asked to take statements from complainants, register dockets and forward the docket to the IPID for investigation. A workshop was also held with legal services in sensitising members on operations. In all cases, disciplinary action was constituted.

Members also raised concerns about the deaths caused by gangsters and the fact that two people died and the management claimed that the activities of the gangs were contained. The closure of 4000 dockets undetected became a point of concern for the Committee and raised the matter with the provincial management.

The SAPS reported that during past interventions, gang violence was under control, but reared its head again in Botshabelo and Mangaung. The gang rivalry had spilled over into schools in the area. In one incident in Heidedal, there was a stabbing and parents rushed to the school to fetch their children. In Bloemspruit, gangs wanted revenge and the SAPS Provincial Commissioner and the MEC for Police addressed the community on Radio Lesedi. The Tactical Response Team (TRT) and the Public Order Police units were placed on standby and the detectives investigated the killings.

The Committee noted that it was not satisfied with the report on the manner the police had dealt with the gangs. The explanation provided by the police that it was young children involved in the gangs who joined because of poverty did not take away the responsibility of the police.

SAPS responded that they noted the concerns of the Committee and would deal harshly with gangsters.

 

            5.2.1     Closure of dockets as undetected

The closure of dockets is the group and branch commander’s responsibility and was assisted by the National and Provincial offices to reduce the backlog. According to the SAPS, if a suspect is not known and cannot be traced, they close the docket as undetected. The docket is sent to the SAPS archives and can be opened at any time again if the suspect has been traced. The Committee was informed that there were norms and standards in SAPS for closing criminal cases and the SAPS closed 7080 dockets the previous month as undetected. The backlog in the Free State amounted to 11 000 cases and the province and national office assisted the station to manage the backlog from 11000 to 6 800. Over 3500 dockets were closed as undetected in the process. Committee members were concerned that when the SAPS do this, they do not give feedback to the complainants and they were not consulted in the process. The Chair stated that the province must provide all the details of the 3500 cases closed undetected to the Committee and inform the complainants. The Committee was supported by the MEC for Police, who questioned what happened when people died and the cases were closed as undetected. He called for the detectives sector to be examined and for the management to deal with the effectiveness and the efficiency of detectives.

Members were concerned that the province did not play its oversight role effectively with respect to managing case dockets. The issue of syndicate hijackings in particular areas were also noted and the SAPS were asked to explain the role of detectives in combatting the syndicates and gangs.

 

 

 

            5.3        SAPS Response

The Provincial Commissioner confirmed that all dockets closed as undetected can be opened at any time again once suspects have been identified. As far as the gangs were concerned, he noted that all schools provides three meals to learners every day and therefore poverty cannot be used as an explanation why children join gangs. He stated that parents have lost control over their children and there is a lack of respect and lack of control of children. Children have also been drawn to the commodities such as clothing and money.  

As far as vehicles are concerned, the RT 56 contract is problematic in that vehicles are in the garage for 4 years in some cases and the red tape is paralysing the process.  Despite this, the province is getting good co-operation from SCM and 1-2 vehicles are leaving the garage on a weekly basis. The station commander noted all the issues raised by the Committee and stated that the issues can be rectified. They are working with the Provincial Office to find a solution to the detectives building.

The Chair thanked the station management for their co-operation and stated that Park Road was one of the better stations the Committee visited. The bigger concerns were the systemic issues, detectives and accountability for human rights and respect for the Constitution. Interaction with the CPF is critical to promote effective policing. The detective building was not in a good state and it was unacceptable and should be remedied by the provincial leadership.

 

            6.         Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit

The provincial FCS unit are based at five stations and has eight officers attached to it. Two of the offices are occupied by forensic social workers and report regularly to the Crime Combatting Forum. In total, the members have a combined experience of 98 years and manage 256 dockets. All eight members have completed the required training courses and work closely with the Child Welfare organisation, Thuthuzela Care Centre, the National Prosecution Authority and the Sexual Offences Courts. There are no shortage of vehicles, but there is a shortage of resources. There has been 99 new dockets for the months April-June. One docket was closed as unfounded and 12 were designated as undetected.

Ten of the dockets were 2 years and older, 40 were 1 year and 12 were less than six months. It was noted that most of the cases took a considerable time to investigate (three years on average) and at curt. The unit received the following sentences: 0-10 years (2), 10-19 years (5); 20 years (5) since April 2015.  There were three cases of life imprisonment. The reason for the length in time for investigations was the fact that because children were involved and this made it difficult. More research was needed to look at the low reporting figures. Crime samples were stored for a period of three months because victims required time to think about the case and feared secondary victimisation. The FCS was dealing with extreme cases of the DVA. The staff of the FCS unit have debriefings and one will be held on 2 October 2015 through Sechaba consultants. They run awareness campaigns. This is also discussed at the weekly Provincial Crime Combating Forum (PCCF) and the SAPS provide radio programmes to sensitize the community. According to the National Instructions, all FCS staff members must go through a debriefing every six months.   

Reasons for the withdrawal of cases are varied. Where suspects go missing from court, a J165 warrant for his arrest is made out. The SAPS swop such warrant for a J150 which is circulated to all police stations. The witnesses and victims are kept abreast of developments in the cases and the SAPS are dealing with cold cases where the suspect is unknown. The detectives make use of DNA reports to identify suspects and make links. One of the reasons for withdrawal is insufficient evidence. Victims also move to other provinces and submit reasons to the Director of Public Prosecutions why they do not want to continue with the cases. In other cases, the victim comes to court and inform the court that they do not want to continue with the case. The case is then withdrawn. There are no cases withdrawn at FCS level. There are delays in the processing of DNA samples.

The SAPS reported that there were 289 DVA dockets in the past financial year. There are lots of DVA cases that are sent to detectives and the police issue a SAPS 508(b) notice which lays out the victim’s rights to apply for a protection order. Concerns of the FCS unit was the fact there is no food for victims on their way to court. They sometimes have to sit for the entire day waiting for their cases to be processed without food. Other issues are dockets closed without any warrants of arrest being issued. The FCS unit has a cellphone number and it is available at all five stations. There is also a toll-free number for victims of crime.

 

            7.         Stock Theft Unit

The Stock Theft unit has 17 members and four vehicles. The offices are based on a farm with no alarm system, although there are security doors installed. The unit operates in three clusters and covers an area of 122 189 square kilometres.  The unit has a number of challenges which includes the non-branding of cattle, the late reporting of cases by complainants and the non-reporting of cases. The stock theft unit vehicles have high mileages ranging between 250 - 450 000. There is one vehicle with 650 000km’s, but it is being managed. There are quad-bikes which are randomly used. There is an increase in cross border stock theft from Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu as stock owners hire herd shepherds from neighbouring countries.

The Stock Theft Unit tries to determine ownership of stolen cattle and as far as possible hand it back to their owners. Where ownership cannot be determined, the stock is impounded at Westminster Pound. The Pound holds regular auctions where the stock is then sold. The money goes to the Pound. There are no release fees. As far as possible, the SAPS apply for feed and it is then taken to the pound. The quotation is received from the Pound-master and a budget line item is allocated to this. The Municipal Pound is owned by the municipality. Over a period of two years, the Stock Theft Unit has had 19 guilty verdicts.

The profile of the people perpetrating stock theft is mostly organised syndicates together with ordinary shepherds and speculators. The cattle follow shepherds across the border, and many cattle are stolen for the purposes of funerals.

Most of the cattle are recovered at auctions, and speculators buy the cattle from thieves and sell it at auctions. There are endangered species such as Rhino, antelope and other rare species sold. There have been six Rhino poaching cases in the last two months as farmers are starting to import Rhino.

The SAPS have also faced degrees of collusion between some police officers and poachers in Zastron and the Anti-Corruption Unit are currently investigating, but clients were afraid of victimisation. The Head of the Provincial detective Services, Brigadier Posholi indicated that corruption was rife in the Free State. He proceeded to inform the Committee about the threats made against members of the Stock Theft Unit. They discovered that more than ten police officers including a crime intelligence official was involved. In their efforts to arrest some of the syndicate members, they forwarded dockets to the police officers from general investigations.  They discovered that the dockets were not taken to court, the DPP declined to prosecute and the dockets found its way back to the archives.

The Committee was very concerned about the allegations and the Chair instructed that a full report should be made available to the Committee before the Committee leaves the Free State. He also asked the Provincial Commissioner to also provide a report on the allegations to the Committee.

The Committee viewed the allegations as serious enough and wanted action to be taken against corrupt police officers wherever they were. The issues raised were directly related to integrity and leadership and the ability of such leaders to effectively deal with corruption. The Chairperson encouraged the Provincial Commissioner to get rid of bad apples amongst the ranks of the police including his deputies if they were tainted. He stated that the province required effective leadership to fight crime.

He thanked members for participating in the oversight visit.

 

            8.         Kopanong, Turflaagte Police Station

The Committee visited the Kopanong Police Station in Turflaagte to check on the progress of building projects. The station has 13 detectives and 64 visible policing members and the station is being capacitated. There are seven members on relief duty although they are sometimes left with 24 members. They are unable to cover the entire community and they have asked for more vehicles.

The station crime profile shows that burglaries and contact crime as the priority crime issues to be policed more effectively. The station commander listed the following as station priorities: Assault GBH; House robberies, common assault, gang activity, domestic violence.

The infrastructure in the community is poor and the roads are poor. There are lots of taverns and the rate of inter-personal violence have increased.

 

            8.1        Projects

The CSC counter was lowered to be the correct height to allow clients to interact in confidence with the SAPS. The second building project is to build additional holding cells as there are no detention facilities. The station is a devolved station and they are using a Park Home. Both building projects are 6 month projects.

After inspection, the Committee was satisfied that all the building projects were on track for completion by contactors.

 

            9.         Firearms, Liquor and Second Hand Goods (FLASH) Unit

The Committee made an unannounced visit to the provincial FLASH office. The Acting Head of the unit and Vispol Head, Colonel Mofokeng reported that he is working with only five officers at Provincial Head office. While there were no problems with the transporting of firearms, it was not always captured on the system. Every fortnight, firearms are transported to the CFR, but it has not been captured on the system for the past three months.

Some of the firearms from deceased estates are not kept for a long time. The SAPS links with the Department of Home Affairs. It then goes to the Masters office at the Court or to firearm dealers for selling. Some of the problems encountered by the SAPS is when people pass on in other provinces, finding the firearm becomes a problem.

Some of the challenges faced by the provincial FLASH unit is staffing. The unit dropped from 47 members to 12 due to promotions and deaths of members. A work-study was conducted in 2011 and a letter was sent to General Cele, National Commissioner at the time informing of the staff shortage. From the report, Members heard how police officials appointed under the PSA were doing Police Act members work. In March 2015, a letter was sent to the Police Head Office on the Fixed Establishment and they received no response to date. The Province has a backlog of over 2000 applications. The Head reported that station commanders do not care about FLASH. The Unit received lots of computers from Head Office, but are unable to use it because it is not connected to the SAPS mainframe. The members of FLASH have to use their private vehicles when they go to stations. In one case, one designated Firearms Officer had to inspect 2900 firearms and they do not have the staff to do so. The Committee heard how station commanders were using the DFO’s for other duties at the station.

The members of the FLASH unit have not been called to meetings at the CFR and they initiated meetings with the CFR on their own. They last attended a meeting with the CFR in March 2015 and they initiate their own communication with the CFR. Five stations out of 110 in the Free State do not have a DFO. These stations are in the Mafube and Bellfontein cluster and have had their IT equipment placed in the station commander’s office. The FLASH Head reported that he took it back to the unit. He also indicated that he could not do so if was a Brigadier led station because of the seniority in rank.  The station commanders have instructed that all DFO’s at Park Road station should do shift work. The Head also reported that he communicates directly with all DFO’s.

In reply to question from the members of the Committee, the Head reported that he reports directly to the VISPOL Head and that he reported the status to his head and the Deputy Provincial Commissioner. He did not write another letter to the Provincial Commissioner (PC) since 2012, although he raised it regularly in the PCCF meetings. The CFR took the decision to not appoint further people in the FLASH unit, as transfers have to be done at provincial level. The PC is responsible for staffing and the permits processed at the Border Posts goes directly to the CFR. There is no knowledge at a provincial level which weapons were entering the country. The Head indicated that the staffing issue should have been picked up as staffing is the competence of the Provincial Commissioner. According to the Head, provinces are not in the loop when it comes to developments at the CFR.   Quarterly meetings are held with all the DFO’s and the last meeting was held in May 2015. There have been one case of corruption reported where a members received money for processing an application.

At this stage there were no firearms from the province destined for destruction making its reappearance on the streets. Monitoring and evaluation of FLASH is done by the National FLASH Component and Supply Chain Management with respect to vehicles and uniforms. The Acting Head of FLASH has been acting for a year and ten months previously and have now acted for a second time for seven months.

The Chair requested that the Head of Flash provide the Committee with three reports:

1. The Task Team report and the buy in of stakeholders;
2. The report of the Deputy Provincial Commissioner on the functioning of FLASH in the Province
3. A written report from the acting Head of FLASH on its functioning.

 

 

 

 

            10.        Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID)

The Committee made an unannounced visit to the IPID in the Province. The IPID consist of 26 staff members including one disabled member on the staff establishment. In Bethlehem, the IPID has six staff members. The members have all attended detective branch commander training and buccal swabs administration training. The budget of the Province is R13 763 845 and they have spent about 25% of the budget in Quarter 1.

There is slight underspending for compensation of employees (2%) and over-expenditure in Goods and Services due to the volume of cases which is mainly due to travelling. IPID has 11 vehicles, 15 laptops, 10 3G cards, 19 printers, scanners and portable scanners.

The challenge with office accommodation for filing of dockets. There is also a challenge with parking bays and the investigation officers vehicles were broken into on the street. The number of case workers have also increased.

The IPID was able to decrease its backlog of cases and the Committee was pleased to hear this. Members questioned IPID about the quality of the relationship with the SAPS and what percentage of recommendations resulted in sanctions and were implemented. According to the IPID, the relationship with the SAPS is adding value to the investigations. But the bulk of cases do not result in recommendations. The SAPS revisits the investigations. The IPID gets assistance from the AVL and specialised units. There are many assault charges against SAPS members, especially around the closure of taverns. All vacant posts have been filled in IPID. Two IPID vehicles were involved in accidents one was hit by a taxi from behind and another though reckless and negligent driving. The IPID is on track with its awareness programmes and have undertaken programmes so far and will complete the next twelve through the year. They reported that communities do not come to the meeting if there is no food and the IPID piggy backs on the programmes of other government departments.  They also use national marketing through a relationship with a local radio station.

The virements in its budget accounted for 2% of its budget and this was within the allowed for 8% stipulated by National Treasury. They are currently dealing with 294 cases, the majority was received from the SAPS in terms of Section 29 referrals. Only two cases came through the public via the Legal Aid SA. The IPID still use the CAS system of the police, but they have developed their own system. IPID officials have their own subsidised vehicles and they assist one another during investigations.

There were no corruption complaints although there were 14 cases of officers discharging their firearms in public places. The 14 cases were awaiting ballistics reports from the Forensic Sciences Laboratory, but it was affected by cable theft delaying the results in the cases. The IPID noted that they work closely with the community police forums and are assisted by local councillors in some cases. The Chair questioned if the IPID was doing enough to counter corruption. IPD responded by saying that they established the National Special Investigating Team (NSIT) at the Head Office and that one staff member in the Free State is looking at systemic corruption, but with capacity issues, they rely on the NSIT.

The Chairperson thanked all the IPID investigators and staff members for their assistance during the visit. He said that it was important that IPID address corruption at the police stations he expected a report from the IPID on the transport unit and the three stations discussed.

 

 

 

11.        Recommendations

The Committee made the following recommendations:

1.         The Committee recommends that the SAPS provide a report together with a timeframe    for the purchase of scanners for the Maseru Border Post and make such report          available within two weeks of adoption of the Oversight Report.

2.         The Committee recommends that the SAPS conducts an investigation into the manner     in which the drug testing and drug analysis equipment at the Maseru Border Post was             purchased and why it has never used such equipment. The SAPS is also to provide            the Committee with a plan how and when the equipment will become operational.

3.         The SAPS to provide the Committee with a report which officials were held responsible   and if any disciplinary steps were taken against such officials.

4.         The Committee recommends that the Public Order Policing Unit at Selosesha      immediately commences recruitment of female officers to be attached to the POPs    unit.

5.         The Committee recommends that the SAPS provide a short term plan for the       replacement of the Nyala vehicles at the POPs Unit and review the RT 46 fleet            management agreement. 

6.         The Committee recommends that the Botshabelo Station and Cluster commanders          provide the Committee with a report             how it intends to manage the fact that the budget           for detectives have been exhausted.

7.         The Committee recommends that the station management team provide a plan for how    it intends to increase reservists at the station.

8.         The Committee recommends that the SAPS institute an investigation into how the            Supply Chain Management Division            signed a contract to house the Protection and    Security Services knowing full well that the building was condemned. The Committee      further recommends that the investigation must include the question of the provision       and supply of spare parts for SAPS vehicles.

9.         The Committee recommends that the Provincial Commissioner provide it with a report      how and by when it will move the Protection and Security Services division to another     and working building in the Free State.

10.        The Committee recommends that the Free State Provincial Commissioner provides it       with a full report of all cases closed undetected during the reduction of the backlog and         subsequent cases closed undetected. The Committee also recommends that all      complainants are informed that their cases have been closed undetected.

11.        The Committee recommends that the Provincial Head of Detectives provide a full            report to the Committee on the corruption in the Stock Theft Unit and provides same            report to the IPID for investigation.

12.        The Committee recommends that the Provincial Commissioner provides the        Committee with the Task Team report and the buy in of stakeholders;

13.        The Committee recommends that the Deputy Provincial Commissioner provide a             report on the functioning of FLASH unit in the Province

14.        The Committee recommends that the IPID provide a plan for increasing investigations     into corruption at station level.

 

Report to be considered