The Independent Complaints Directorate presented its Budgets Vote 23 to the Ad Hoc Committee on Safety and Security on 2 June 2004. The presentation covered budget allocation of 2004/5 financial periods. The IDC budget presentation focused on three programmes and their measurable objectives. These programmes are: Programme 1: Administration; programme 2; Investigation of Complaints and programme 3: Information Management and Research. In terms of comparative expenditure trends, the total budget of the ICD for the financial year 2004/05 increased from R37 043 million in 2003/04 to R42 114 million in 2004/05. This represents a nominal increase of 14% and a real increase of 9.8%. It is expected to increase by 10.7% over the MTEF period, compared to 13.2% yearly between 2000/01 and 2003/04.

The ICD’s focus in the medium term has shifted to the investigation of complaints. This is reflected in the large percentage (72%) of the 2004/05 Budget that is allocated towards compensation for employees. The additional allocations in the 2004 Budget are to enable the ICD to increase its internal capacity so that it is able to investigate all classes of complaints, including specialized corruption investigations.

The ICD reported that most of its targets have been met (and in some cases exceeded). Preliminary investigations were completed in all reported cases of deaths in police custody within the set target of 14 days. The ICD investigated more than 70% of all complaints relating to police criminality and misconduct, exceeding its target for 2003/04 of 50%.

The primary objective of the information management and research programme is to contribute to the human rights focus in police service delivery, by managing a current complaints register and by continuously analyzing it to produce at least four recommendation reports per year on systemic problems in policing, as well as at least two recommendation reports per year on systemic problems with implementing the Domestic Violence Act.

The increase in the Information Management and Research Programme’s budget reflects a nominal change from last year of 32% and a real increase of 27.8%. The annual average increase between 2002/03 and 2005/06 is attributed to an extended oversight mandate, particularly in relation to the MPS. Extending administrative support to case analysts is reflected in the average annual increase of 23.5% in compensation to employees in the medium term, and is echoed by the 19.1% increase in the annual growth of this Programme over the medium term.

The ICD registered 4443 cases in 2002/03, an increase of 31.9% from 2001/02. There was a 9.7% decrease in the number of reported deaths in police custody when compared to 2001/02.

The number of criminal offences, allegedly committed by SAPS and MPS, increased by 88.7% from 531 in 2001/02 to 1 002 in 2002/03. Reported incidents of misconduct increased from 2 253 to 2 913 for the same period.

The Ad Hoc Committee on Safety and Security has observed that:

• The ICD has committed itself to investigating independently all complaints (deaths, criminal offences and cases of corruption and misconduct) against the SAPS and the MPS by 2005. In the past, the ICD only investigated SAPS-related deaths and some serious criminal offences within a 250km radius of the nearest provincial ICD office, although it monitored other serious offence cases and all cases of misconduct investigated by the SAPS. Due to additional funding, the ICD is now able to fulfil their mandate more extensively. The ICD’s Integrity Strengthening Unit was established in 2003 and forms the basis of the new Anti-Corruption Command that will be operational early in 2004/05. The ICD will then be able to investigate all cases of police related corruption.
• Despite the focus on investigations, monitoring remains an important function of the ICD. It is possible that internal monitoring may even increase given the expansion of SAPS and the MPS and the consequent increase in the number of cases of alleged police related misconduct. The ICD reports an improved co-operative relationship with the SAPS as manifested in the establishment of a National Protocol, which sets out relationships between the SAPS, the MPS, the Department of Transport (at the time responsible for training traffic officers) and the ICD.
• The ICD has placed increased emphasis on making proactive recommendations aimed at altering and curbing errant police behaviour.
• The ICD continues to monitor the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act. It notes that there has been a marked decrease in reported domestic violence cases but attributes this to a lack of publicity.
• Members were also concerned about the increase of deaths as a result of police action and in police custody.