Instability within police force a 'grave concern', says portfolio committee

The portfolio committee on police is of the “considered view that the general instability within the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) as a result of various causal factors is a cause of grave concern”.

The committee issued a statement on Thursday evening after a briefing with minister of police Bheki Cele and senior management of SAPS.

It expressed concern about the uncertainty regarding the vacancy of divisional commissioner of crime intelligence.

“It is untenable that following the transfer of the incumbent in December 2020, there has been no movement to fill the post. It is only logical that when you transfer someone from such a critical position, a replacement is made within reasonable time. What the recent unrest has shown is the gap in quality intelligence products ideal to pre-empt criminal activity,” said Tina Joemat-Pettersson, chairperson of the committee.

The committee said information that since May 2011 to date there had been 12 acting appointments to this critical position was unnerving.

It called for the urgent resolution of the matter “to ensure the stability necessary to strategically drive the crime intelligence component which is critical to crime fighting.”  

“Secondly, it is unsustainable to have a top-heavy SAPS organisational structure which impedes the operational requirements on the ground. An effective and agile police service requires adequate human resources, especially at police station level to render services to the people. In this regard, the committee is concerned that the police to population ratio is currently at 1:327 with an increasing ratio year-on-year. While the committee acknowledges the budget reduction for the police, especially in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and the potential negative impact it will have on the stability of the SAPS, it remains of the view that a top-heavy structure negatively impacts the agility and ability of the SAPS to be responsive to its mandate,” the committee said.

It noted the update and progress on the restructuring process of the SAPS and was hopeful that the process would lead to a revitalised organisation, able to effectively implement its mandate which was critical for the socio-economic success of the country. 

While the committee welcomed the consequence management that led to the dismissal of 12 senior managers (level 14 and above) as a way of eradicating corruption within the system, the fundamental concern is that there are criminal elements within the SAPS, especially at senior management level of the organisation.

“The credibility of the SAPS is negatively imperilled by these rotten apples. We, however, urge the SAPS to continue on this drive to root out criminal elements within its ranks,” Joemat-Pettersson emphasised.

The committee also was concerned that perennial Supply Chain Management (SCM) challenges continued to be an achilles heel for the SAPS.

“While we welcome the appointment of Component Head: Supply Chain, and progress made, we note the acknowledgment of areas of concerns that remain, and we urge the SAPS to put more emphasis on resolving the challenges within the SCM environment,” said Joemat-Pettersson.

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