Strategic Plan 2004/2007 | Introduction

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Introduction

A fundamental responsibility of Government is to provide for the safety and security of all citizens of, and visitors to, the Republic of South Africa. In order to achieve this, and to contribute to a safe and secure environment, Government transfers specific functions and powers to agencies such as the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No 8 of 1996), the South African Police Service Act (Act No 68 of 1995), numerous other Acts, national orders, national instructions, policies, and the Strategic Plan ensure that these powers, functions, and duties are exercised by the police in an uniform and efficient manner.

The SAPS remains driven to positioning itself as an accountable and efficient organization, both in discharging its functions, and its collective efforts to creating a safe and secure environment for all people in South Africa, in partnership with, inter alia, other government departments, communities and industry.

Towards this end, the Strategic Plan is linked to the budgetary process (in the context of the Medium - Term Expenditure Framework) with clearly articulated Departmental programmes, programme output, and departmental objectives. This is underpinned by the inclusion of well-defined service delivery indicators and realistic targets.

The strategic management process followed by the SAPS meets the guidelines and requirements set by the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No 1 of 1999 as amended by Act No 29 of 1999) (PFMA). The National Treasury Regulations form the basis for developing the Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan thus informs and directs the budgetary and planning processes within the SAPS and also provides the basis for the annual report of the National Commissioner, as required in terms of the PFMA.