Strategic Plan 2004/2007 | Strategic Direction

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Strategic Direction

Constitutional, legislative, functional and policy mandates

The Department of Safety and Security has reviewed its strategic direction against the backdrop of both the historical and prevailing crime information, current crime pattern analyses, socio-economic and political transition, new legislation and a host of factors that affect policing. However, this does not involve a major change in the strategic direction embarked on by the SAPS in its strategic plan of 2002-2005.

The strategic direction of the Service for the medium term is guided and informed by numerous policies, including:

• the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No 108 of 1996);
• the South African Police Service Act, 1995 (Act No 68 of 1995);
• the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No 1 of 1999 as amended by Act No 29 of 1999);
• the Public Service Regulations, 2001;
• the Treasury Guidelines, 2002;
• the National Crime Combating Strategy (NCCS:2000);
• the goals of the JCPS Cluster ; and
• the initiatives of the Integrated Justice System.

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These policies are intended to guide policing within the broad context of government policy.

Core objectives

The objectives of policing in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No 108 of 1996) are to:

• prevent crimes;
• combat crime;
• investigate crime;
• maintain public order;
• protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic, and their property; and
• to uphold and enforce the law.

Core and support activities (including output deliverables)

The objectives of policing inform the Department's key departmental programmes, otherwise referred to as the financial programme structure, and the key departmental objectives.

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Key Departmental Programme 1: Administration

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Key Departmental Programme 2: Visible Policing

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Key Departmental Programme 3: Detective Service

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Key Departmental Programme 4: Crime Intelligence

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Key Departmental Programme 5: Protection and Security Services

In the course of the 2003/2004 financial year Cabinet approved the mandate, functions and responsibilities as part of the establishment of the Division: Protection and Security Services. In this regard, monetary provision was made for projects relating to security at key Government installations, which was to be rolled out during the 2004/2005 financial year. Functions relating to ports of entry, security and rail police, as well as the transfer of the function of government security regulator from the SANDF, form part of the pilot projects. The output measures and indicators for the existing functions of the programme were developed for the 2004/2005 financial year. The outcome of the pilot projects will set the baseline for performance measurement in time to come.

Ports of entry and border line control who is directly accountable to Provinces, will function in terms of policies, procedures, operational standards, and standing operational procedures as presented by a forum comprising of Protection and Security Services, Operational Response Services, Crime Prevention, Crime Intelligence and Detective Services. The forum will ensure that the functioning at these key points take place in an integrated manner.

Developments and legislative changes

The policies governing policing are set out in numerous documents, including the National Crime Prevention Strategy of 1996 and the SA Police Service Act, 1995. These policies are intended to ensure that crime levels are stabilized by 2009, and that relations between the police and the community improve.

The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster and the Integrated Justice System

All strategies and priorities of the South African Police Service (SAPS) are aligned to the goals of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster, which coordinate interdepartmental crime prevention initiatives across the Criminal Justice System (CJS).

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JCPS Priorities

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In 2002 an IJS Development Committee was established and mandated by the JCPS Cluster to ensure cooperation and coordination in relation to the CJS. Various task teams were appointed by the Committee to focus inter alia on the improvement of the management of every case dealt with in the Criminal Justice System.

Since the inception of the IJS Development Committee and its task teams, departments are cooperating and participating in a far more integrated manner to achieve sectoral goals, and a larger number of intersectoral initiatives have been undertaken to foster common objectives and outcomes. For example, the SAPS have participated in all interdepartmental processes for the emerging child justice system. This has included developing an implementation strategy for proposed legislation and monitoring the existing Interim Protocol for the Management of Children Awaiting Trial.

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SAPS strategic priorities

The SAPS has reviewed its Strategic Plan (2002/2005), including the Planning Information (2003/2004), in terms of crime information, pattern analyses, and subsequently realigned it with Government policy. The result of this revision provides for the framework for the 2004/2007 Strategic Plan.

The SAPS has set four key strategic priorities for the medium term. The first is to combat organized crime, focusing on drug and firearm trafficking, vehicle theft and hijacking, as well as commercial crime and corruption among public officials. The second is serious and violent crime, for which strategies have been developed to, among other things, counter the proliferation of firearms, improve safety and security in high crime areas, combat crimes such as taxi and gang violence and faction fighting, and maintain security at major public events. The third priority focuses on strategies to reduce the incidence of crimes committed against women and children and improving the investigation and prosecution of these crimes. The fourth priority is to improve service delivery at police stations. Key organizational priorities underpinning the above include human resources and budget management. A National Crime Combating Strategy, aimed at combating organized crime and serious and violent crime, informs and directs operations and resources at police stations. In addition, police resources are focused on identified high-crime areas and priority stations in terms of a multidisciplinary geographical approach. To combat corruption, a Service Integrity Framework has been developed aimed at encouraging members to resist and expose corruption, and improving management and supervision.

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Enhancing policing presence

South African crime prevention is based on principles of community policing, that is, communities in partnership with the SAPS. Partnerships between police officers, appointed as sector managers, and communities will strengthen existing community police forums. To enhance crime prevention, sector policing was introduced in 2002/03 to increase the visibility of and access to police officers, particularly in poor areas where crime levels are high. This approach will be continued into future financial years and will be supported by a recruitment process, in terms of which funds have been provided to increase the number of personnel to 156 760 by the end of March 2007, which is a 19,1 percent increase. This labour input will be complemented by a concomitant expansion of the Department's vehicle fleet, equipment supplies and IT infrastructure.

Services to victims

The SAPS contributes to the Interdepartmental Management Team of the Victim Empowerment Programme, led by the Department of Social Development. Key contributions of the team in 2003/04 included the finalization of the Victim Charter of Services and the development of a Policy on Victim Empowerment.

Training of SAPS members to empower victims is regarded as a key intervention for improving the services to the public. In this regard, a new Domestic Violence Training Curriculum is being completed for implementation in 2004/05. Victim-friendly facilities are provided at presidential stations to enable statements of intimate violence (rape, sexual offences, child abuse and domestic violence) to be made in private.

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Strategies

The South African Police Service has developed the following strategies which will contribute to addressing the identified strategic objectives.

The National Crime Combating Strategy

The National Crime Combating Strategy (NCCS) was implemented in April 2000 as part of the SAPS Strategic Plan 2000 to 2003. The Strategy is being carried out in two phases, namely:

• Phase 1: Stabilizing crime over the period 2000 to 2003
• Phase 2: Normalizing crime over the period 2004 to 2010

However, normalizing crime will not only require law enforcement actions but will include programmes to address the root causes of crime such as moral regeneration, social crime prevention and development projects. One of the main focus areas of normalization is to create the required capacity within the law enforcement environment to sustain successes achieved during the stabilization phase. The phasing out of the Commando System (essentially a military structure which performs law enforcement functions on a secondary level), and the introduction of a revised SAPS system, which will be tailor-made to the specific crime prevention and combating needs of various communities, will form an integral part of this capacity-building process.

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Sector policing is the main focus area of the SAP's approach to the normalizing of crime and is based on the following:

• Demarcating a police station area geographically into manageable sectors, taking into account Crime Administration Blocks, the geographical size of the area, topographical features, community resources, as well as types and patterns of crime
• Appointing permanent SAPS members as sector commanders and sector policing teams
• Active participation by communities by means of Reservists, partnerships and support groups
• Implementing strategies and projects by the SAPS and communities to address specific crime problems in each sector.

Each sector will be responsible for visibility, crime deterrence, rapid response to crimes, partnerships with communities and problem-solving projects.

Firearms Strategy

The purpose of the strategy is to eradicate the proliferation of firearms available for use in crimes of violence in South Africa. The Firearms Strategy is being implemented based on the following:

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• Developing and maintaining appropriate firearm-related regulators
• Developing and maintaining effective control processes and procedures regarding firearms
• Reducing and eradicating the illegal pool and the criminal use of firearms
• Preventing crime and violence by creating an awareness of social crime prevention and entering into partnerships in this regard.

Crimes against Women and Children Strategy

The purpose of the strategy is to reduce the incidence of crimes against women and children, as well as to ensure a full investigation into sexual offence cases (sexual offences include rape, sodomy and indecent assault). The strategy includes the following:

• Providing professional victim assistance, which includes the treatment of victims, providing information on procedures followed by the police and the criminal justice system and referral of victims to support services.
   
• Reactive measures
  This entails the steps to be taken by the investigating officer on receiving a sexual offences case.
   
• Preventive measures
  The initiatives undertaken by the SAPS, together with other departments, NGOs and the community at large to prevent crimes against women and children.
   

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Prevention of Attacks on and Murders of Police Officials Strategy

The purpose of the strategy is to coordinate efforts and initiatives aimed at addressing the attacks on, and murders, of police officials. The strategy is based on the following:

• Reactive measures
  This will entail the details relating to the reaction of the SAPS in response to attacks on and the killing of police officials.
   
• Restorative measures
  The initiatives taken by the SAPS to normalize the situation (as far as possible) after an attack on or the killing of police officials. This will include initiatives to assist members and their immediate families and the revising of procedural and policy-related matters, as required.
   
• Preventive measures
  The initiatives undertaken by the SAPS, both within the organisation and the community at large, to prevent attacks on and police officials being killed.
   

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This strategy will be further developed and implemented in the 2004/2005 financial year.

Service Integrity Strategy

The purpose of the strategy is to enhance the integrity levels of the police officials in the SAPS. The strategy focuses on addressing corruption in the Service and has the following aims:

• Preventing corruption
• Detecting alleged cases of corruption
• Investigating cases of corruption
• Implementing restorative actions aimed at dealing with potential shortcomings which may result in or contribute to corruption

Risk Management Strategy

The SAPS risk management strategy comprises the following:

• An introduction to risk management
• The process undertaken in developing the Risk Management Strategy of the SAPS
• the procedure applicable to the managing of the identified risks; and
• the Risk Register, a comprehensive list of risks, sub-risks, prioritizing the risks, the functional capacity responsible for the process relating to the risk and the functional capacity responsible for implementing the process.

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The primary objective of the SAPS Risk Management Strategy is to enable top management to identify and manage the risks which impact on policing, within the context of the SAPS Strategic Plan. A secondary, but critical objective is to provide management with a basis for implementing a system of risk management, as recommended by the revised King Report on Corporate Governance (King 2) and legislated by the PFMA.

The risk assessments will contribute to the ability of the SAPS accounting officer (the National Commissioner) to adequately discharge his responsibility for:

• performing annual risk assessments; and
• ensuring the SAPS has and maintains an effective, efficient and transparent system of risk management and internal control.

The overall purpose of this Risk Management Strategy is, therefore, to assist management in assessing and prioritizing the risks that need to be managed in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the SAPS.

Information Systems and Information and Communication Technology (IS/ICT)

The Public Service Regulations and National Treasury Regulations and Guidelines prescribe that every government department develop an Information and Technology Plan (ITP) as part of their Strategic Plan. Accordingly, an Information Systems and Information and Communications Technology (IS/ICT) Plan has been developed for the SAPS. In order to further rationalize and focus the more than 200 initiatives defined in the IS/ICT Plan within a SAPS strategic context, the SAPS IS/ICT Resources Strategy has also been developed.

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Information is regarded as a resource that is critical to the mission of the SAPS within the context of the JCPS cluster, as is evident in its proactive and integrated policing strategy. In order to provide the support required to combat crime, deliver satisfactory customer services to the public and optimize resource deployment, information must be utilized and managed as a resource in an efficient, effective and economical manner. This requires the availability and continuous optimizing of certain information utilization and management-related capabilities that are enabled by various technologies (IS/ICT) invented and advanced specifically for this purpose. As such IS/ICT is a critical resource that supports the SAPS in successfully achieving its priorities.

The IS/ICT Priorities for the SAPS have been identified, in order of importance, as follows:

Priority 1: Sustainability of current IS/ICT

Sustaining the current IS/ICT of the SAPS is regarded as a matter of the highest priority. Sustainability in this context consists of the usual maintenance of the deployed IS/ICT, including the consequential maintenance resulting from the establishment of additional IS/ICTs. It also includes periodic renewal and regular enhancement of outdated IS/ICTs, as well as the required expansion to accommodate natural growth in capacity.

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Priority 2: Enablement of execution of IS/ICT initiatives

In order to successfully execute IS/ICT initiatives certain key issues that have an effect on the sustainability and the advancement of the IS/ICT of the SAPS need to be resolved, as well as the establishment of enabling mechanisms to support the governance, delivery and monitoring of IS/ICTs. Implementing the particular initiatives in support of the required information utilization and management capabilities will be costly as it will require a fundamental review of current budgetary trends.

Priority 3: Advancement of additional IS/ICTs

To meet rising expectations of information users and managers, as well as to take advantage of almost unlimited opportunities created by rapid advancements in modern information and communication technologies, it is critical not only to sustain the current IS/ICTs of the SAPS, but to continuously advance additional IS/ICTs in terms of continuous improvement, expansion, development, enhancement, upgrading and extension. This priority also includes the acquisition, development and implementation of IS/ICTs in support of the required capabilities.
The specific capabilities to be advanced are as follows:

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• Accessibility
  This will be accomplished by establishing citizen enquiry and transacting systems, universal and information system independent user interfaces, device independence, as well as by single sign-ons and contributing to the e-Government gateway programme.
   
• Mobility
  This will be achieved by enabling mobile work environments and utilizing all available communication carriers.
   
• Collaboration
  This will be achieved by establishing interoperability messaging and work-flow management, establishing device independence, multimedia conversion technologies and open-system standards.
   
• Security
  This will be established by establishing biometric access and end-to-end security, authentication and encryption.
   
• Automation
  This will be accomplished by establishing citizen enquiry transacting systems and electronic document management and workflow systems
   
• Identification
  This will be accomplished by establishing biometric identification systems and object identification systems.
   
• Monitoring
  This will be accomplished by establishing object tracking systems and close-circuit television systems
   
• Presentation
  This will be accomplished by focusing on geographical and spatial data presentation, messaging and interoperability
   
• Analysis
  This will be accomplished by establishing data mining and decision support systems, as well as interoperability.

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