Police are moving with the times and gearing up to fight cyber and electronic crime amid plans to bring in several new crime-fighting branches.
This is part of a nationwide police restructuring to combat the high crime rate.
Under the commercial crimes branch, there will be a banking and electronic crime section as well as cyber-crime and deep web investigation units.
The deep web is a collection of websites on an encrypted network – where some criminal activities are carried out.
This was revealed in documents from the police national office sent to cluster and provincial offices last week.
While a policing expert said the new structure had the potential to reduce crime, the SA Police Union (Sapu) warned it could cause confusion and add to a top-heavy structure.
The plan means that cluster offices – which oversee several clusters of stations in every province – would be disbanded and fall under larger district offices, similar to how the police operated in the past.
Some of the appointments to top posts have already been made and came into effect on November 1, but not all structures are operational.
The new organogram, seen by The Herald, was signed on October 11 by national police commissioner Khehla Sitole as well as acting head of financial management and administration services Major-General Stephanus Nelson and deputy commissioner of management advisory services LieutenantGeneral Sindile Mfazi.
The breakdown of services showed the official formation of the police’s organised crime investigation unit as well as commercial crime investigations – similar crimes to those the Hawks investigate.
“Threat-based desks” will also be set up in certain provinces to monitor crime trends and leads on crimes involving narcotics, poaching, gangsterism and cigarette smuggling.
The police organised crime division will investigate serious and violent crimes, narcotics and “project investigations”, while another division will do specific crime investigation – such as rhino poaching and vehicle crime investigations.
Unlike the Hawks, who report to minister Bheki Cele, the Eastern Cape provincial unit will report to provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga.
The family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit (FCS) also gets a sub-division for serial and electronic investigations – mostly to do with child pornography or related cyber crimes under the sexual offences act.
Crime intelligence will get a series of branches such as undercover and agent operations, surveillance, counter narcotics, cluster co-ordination and overt operations as well as commercial, financial and cyber crimes.
The organogram shows that under the detective wing, there will be a division for “harmful occult-related practices and missing persons”.
University of South Africa senior lecturer in forensic and crime investigation Professor Rudolph Zinn said the move could be beneficial in fighting crime – if rolled out correctly.
“It could work. There are several new structures that could really assist in combating crime,” he said.
“The problem in the police – and it is an international issue – is that certain units and components operate in silos.
“For this to work effectively, they will need to put everyone around a table and get the lines of information flowing.”
Zinn said the special project investigations unit could make a massive impact.
“They are considered to be problem solvers,” he said
“Based on crime patterns and trends, this team will be deployed to bring that particular crime trend down.
“Special project teams have in the past had major success in dropping the high crime rate in problematic areas.
“With the unit now being in the structure, it means that they will ... be running all the time with dedicated resources.”
Asked about FCS electronic investigations, commercial crimes, web and cyber investigations, Zinn said it was a sign that the police were moving with the times.
“In this digital age, you need specialists in the field investigating these specific crimes.
“The FCS electronic investigations will deal with issues such as child pornography and other similar crimes.”
Sapu deputy president Tumisang Mogodiseng said it had been briefed earlier in 2018 and had raised concerns.
“Such as a cost analysis ... and how it will affect the members,” he said.
“They did not consider our input and are just continuing with their plans.”
He said the existing structure was top heavy.
“We are going to be watching carefully where exactly these generals [at the national head office] are going,” he said.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said: “There has not been a public pronouncement on the matter by police management as yet.”