SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
STRATEGIC PLAN 2000 - 2003
1. BACKGROUND
The first annual police plan (1996/97) was the beginning of a new approach to establish a more accountable, effective and efficient organisation, whilst maintaining focus on the combating of identified priority crimes.
The second annual police plan (1997/98) was more focussed in terms of outlining the policing priorities and organisational focus areas. A separation between operational and organisational plans, however, remained intact and planning was done on an annual basis. It became clear, however, that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework necessitated the development of a Medium Term Strategic Framework for the SAPS.
2. CRIME PRIORITIES The Top Management of the South African Police Service have, during the first three months of 2000, gone through an extensive process of strategic planning during which the priorities of the South African Police Service were reviewed in terms of government policy, the National Intelligence Estimate and crime information and crime pattern analysis. Based on this analysis the following priorities have been identified for the period 2000-2003:
2.1. Organised Crime Combating organised crime by focussing on:
criminal organisations involved in crimes relating to drugs, firearms and vehicles
corruption
commercial crime
2.2. Seriousand Violent Crimes Combatting serious and violent crimes by focussing on:
the proliferation of firearms and its impact on incidents of murder, armed robberies, heists and hijackings
crime combatting strategies developed for identified high crime areas
intergroup violence, taxi violence and gang violence in identified flashpoint areas
· urban terrorism
· policing of major events
2.3. Crimes against Women and Children
2.4. Improving Service Delivery (The Public Service Regulations prescribes the implementation of a service delivery programme to be implemented by all Departments.)
3. APPROACH TO CRIME PRIORITIES The prevailing incidence of crime and violence in certain areas, necessitated an approach whereby the crime situation and intelligence picture has been closely scrutinized and analysed to determine which areas in South Africa have the highest incidence of crime and violence (geographical hot spots) and what approach should be utilized to stabilize these areas. This has led to the identification of high crime areas viz the areas where more than 50% of the serious and violent crimes and crime tendencies such as the hijacking of vehicles, attacks on farms and smallholding, bank robberies, etc, occur.
Subsequently, as from 1 April 2000, the South African Police Service has focused on the stabilization of crime in the identified areas. Approximately 140 station areas have been identified from the almost 1200 station areas for this purpose. These station areas have been grouped into crime combating zones which do not necessarily correspond with the boundaries of police areas. In some instances a crime combating zone may fall within two or more police areas or provinces. Crime combating zones also include station areas adjacent to identified "hot spot" areas to prevent crime from spilling over to neighboring stations.
An approach has therefore been adopted whereby serious and violent crimes, as well as certain crime tendencies in the identified areas, are being stabilized to enable normal crime management and to create a climate conducive to socio-economic development.
This approach is being augmented by comprehensive strategies to deal with the proliferation of firearms and crimes against women and children. During the stabilization period, seen as a short term operational approach, specific emphasis is being placed on the improvement of service delivery and the development of capacity at local level.
To add further strength to the multi-disciplinary approach in addressing crime in the identified areas, the Minister for Safety and Security and the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service have also set in motion cooperation with relevant departments, such as Justice, Health, Water Affairs, Correctional Services and the SANDF. Various Departments will, therefore, interact with the Safety and Security operational structures either in a crime combating manner or by addressing social needs within an area.
The stabilisation and normalisation efforts in the identified "hot spots" are also linked to a strategy to combat organised crime.
3.1. Geographic approach to deal with serious and violent crimes This approach implies that where components have operated separately from one another in the past they now share intelligence, human and physical resources and address crime within an identified crime area in an integrated manner.
Crime combating task groups under the command of a deputy area commissioner, comprising components as per figure 1, which have been established for this purpose.
[Ed: Figure 1 not available]
These Crime Combating Groups initiate operations in the identified zones through a Joint Operational Committee on the basis of crime intelligence and crime patterns. The type of operations include investigations, surveillance, cordon and search, high density operations, road blocks, searches, arrest of wanted persons and general crime prevention operations.
3.2. Organized crime A process has been implemented to identify crime syndicates. Organized crime task teams have been established to neutralize these syndicates.
The operational concept for combating organized crime is set out in figure 2. Of particular importance is the fact that the focus is on crime syndicates as opposed to individual crimes.
[Ed: Figure 2 not available]
The focus of this strategy is to arrest wanted persons prioritized in connection with serious and violent crimes, as well as organized crime.
3.3.2. Arrest of illegal immigrants involved in organized crime (Operation Aliens) This operation forms part of both the organized crime and geographical approaches whereby illegal immigrants, involved in organized and serious and violent crimes, are being arrested.
3.4. Proliferation of firearms Although illegal firearms are being addressed as part of the geographic and organized crime strategies, a broader approach which provides for pro-active and reactive methods is also being implemented to deal with the proliferation of firearms throughout South Africa, as well as in neighboring states.
3.4.1. The key focus areas and elements of the strategy are: Focus area 1 Controlling the inflow of firearms across the borders
Key Elements Firearm Control Bill
Border Control
SADC Protocol on firearm control
Cross Border operations
Destruction of arms caches in neighboring countries
Focus Area 2 Preventing I Deterring the theft, loss and abuse of legal firearms
Key Elements Firearm Control Bill
Safekeeping of Firearms
Policies I Procedures - Improved control over State firearms
Audits I Inspections
Awareness campaigns
Focus Area 3 Tracing lost I illegal firearms
Key Elements Operations - Crime Combating Task Groups
Investigations - Organized crime
Tracing teams
Recovery of forfeited arms
Amnesty
Focus Area 4 Identifying recovered firearms I linking to crimes & suspects
Key elements Investigations - Organized crime
Firearm investigation units
Forensic & ballistic tests
Fingerprints
Focus Area 5 Prosecution of offenders
Key elements Prosecution
Sentences
Declaration of unfitness
Forfeiture of arms
Focus Area 6 Disposal of firearms and ammunition
Key Elements Seizure of arms
Immediate destruction
3.5. Crimes against women and children Although certain crimes against women and children, specifically violent crimes, are being dealt with through the geographic approach and organized crime investigations, a specific strategy was developed to deal with this phenomenon.
The strategy has been designed to conform to the regulatory framework set by international conventions and the Domestic Violence Act.
The approach adopted is to combat crimes against women and children by inter alia vigorous implementation of the prescripts of the Domestic Violence Act. This is being augmented with victim empowerment and support programmes and partnerships with relevant institutions such as the National Network on Violence Against Women, the Gender Commission and Human Rights Commission.
Best practices developed to date (such as an inter-sectoral approach, crisis centers, awareness programmes, etc.) are being rolled out to priority areas where this phenomenon is prevalent.
Special units to deal with family violence, child protection and sexual abuses have been strengthened to enhance the SAPS's capacity.
3.6. Improvement of service delivery As indicated above the Geographical and Organized Crime approaches deal with the stabilization of high crime areas and the neutralization of crime syndicates. Concurrent to this, capacity is being built at police stations to deal with the management of crime once the situation has been normalized.
The Service Delivery Improvement Programme (SDIP) is being used as the tool to improve service delivery to communities at local level.
The SDIP is being implemented within the framework of the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service I Batho Pele and focuses on service delivery, addressing local policing priorities, community policing, quality of service, human resource development, and the optimal utilization of physical resources.
Key elements of the approach include:
- training of facilitators
- establishment of community partnerships
- compilation of station profiles
- development of service charters
- station diagnosis (problem identification)
- development of implementation plans formulation of performance indicators - -- implementation
- monitoring
- best practices
3.7. Improving integrity - dealing with corruption Although corruption is being dealt with by means of the organized crime strategy and the endeavors of existing anti corruption units, an alignment is being made, in terms of international approaches, to deal with the issue of service integrity both in a proactive and reactive manner.
Management information is being put into place by analyzing the working environment, as well as loopholes in control measures in order to determine the key risk areas.
Preventative measures are being implemented in two key areas:
Focus Area 1 Organisational Control Measures
Key elements Accountability
Supervision I control
Inspections I audits
Systems I Policies I Procedures
Asset control Focus Area 2 Human Integrity
Key elements Early warning system
Vetting
Code of Conduct
Training
Rewards I Sanctions
Service conditions
Assistance - personal budgeting
4. ORGANISATIONAL PRIORITIES The following have been identified as the key organisational priorities to be addressed
4.1. Budget and Resource Management
41.1. Optimising the balance between personnel and operational expenditure
4.1.2. Optimising physical resource utilisation
4.2. Human Resource Management - optimising personnel utilisation
- developing and implementing human resource policies
- developing human resources
- implementing affirmative action
- institutionalising performance management
- institutionalising a professional service ethos
- developing and implementing an Employee Assistance Programme
4.3. Approach - organizational priorities The approach adopted is one of focused support to the operational strategy of the Police. All initiatives in the organizational environment will be managed through an integrated support strategy with the aim of maximum support to the operational strategy to enable results in the shortest possible time.
Medium to long term strategies have been developed for each of the organizational priorities. This is augmented with short term strategies in support of the operational strategy and are being reviewed continuously in accordance with operational needs.
5. MONITORING AND EVALUATION Monitoring and evaluation are being focused on strategies, performance indicators and agreed on targets I outputs.
OVERVIEW OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND THE ORGANISED CRIME APPROACH AS PART OF THE NATIONAL CRIME COMBATTING STRATEGY
Over and above the normal policing of crime, which always has to be attended to and which addresses the largest part of the Police budget, the South African Police Service has developed a Crime Combating Strategy for 2000-2003 to address the following identified priorities:
- Organized Crime
- Serious and violent crime
- Crimes against women and children
- Service delivery
In terms of the organized crime approach, a process has been implemented to identify syndicates that are most deeply involved in organized crime. Organized crime Combating task groups under the command of skilled detectives are assigned to each syndicate in order to neutralize these syndicates. The organized crime Combating task groups will be focusing specifically on the following types of crimes:
- Vehicle theft and hi-jacking
- Drug trafficking
- Bank robbery and the robbery of cash-in-transit
- Illegal plundering of our marine resources
- Money laundering
- High tech trans-national crimes and cyber crimes
- Commercial crime
- Illegal firearms
- Precious metals and stones
In terms of the geographical approach to address serious and violent prioritised crimes, Operation Crackdown was launched at the end of March 2000 in 68 crime Combating zones countrywide. These zones comprises of 124 police station areas where fifty percent or more of all serious and violent crimes occur, as well as identified flashpoint station areas where specific crime and violent tendencies are prevalent, including the following:
- The hi-jacking of motor vehicles
- Bank robberies
- The robbery of cash-in-transit
- Illegal possession of firearms
- Violent crimes on farms and small holdings
- Taxi violence
- Intergroup conflict
- Gang violence and vigilantism
- Security threats such as urban terrorism
- Crimes against women and children
In each of these zones a multi-disciplinary Crime Combating Task Group has been established to conduct intelligence-driven operational interventions according to their respective crime threat analysis.
In addition to these stabilizing interventions, other steps were taken, such as the Firearm Strategy, to combat the proliferation of firearms, and the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act to combat crimes against women and children. The South African Police Service is also involved in various Social Crime Prevention initiatives in cooperation with the Social Cluster departments to address the underlying cause of crime and the factors that exacerbate violent crimes.