The Committee has examined the Budget Vote of the Department of Safety and Security (Vote 24) for the 2005/06 financial year and the forward estimates for 2006/07 and 20007/08 included in the Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) 2005, as well as the Department’s Strategic Plan 2005 - 2010, and reports as follows:

The Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security received the following submissions on the budget of the Department of Safety and Security for 2005/06:

• Briefing by the Department of Safety and Security on 2 March 2005 on the Strategic Plan and 2005/06 Budget.
• Briefing by State Information Technology Agency (SITA) on 16 March 2005.
• The Committee received comments on aspects of the South African Police Service (SAPS) budget by the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) and the South African Police Union (SAPU) on 5 April 2005.
• The Secretariat, which receives a proportion of budget of the Department of Safety and Security budget, presented an outline of its budget allocation for 2005/06 in terms of its strategic priorities on 5 April 2005.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) strategic priorities for this 5-year period outlined in the Strategic Plan 2005 - 2010 remain to:

• Combat organised crime.
• Combat serious and violent crime.
• Reduce the incidence of crimes against women and children.
• Improve the service provided by SAPS.
• Ensure effective human resource management.
• Ensure effective budget and resource management.

To give effect to these priorities, capacity needs to be increased in the areas of human resources, physical resources, training and borderline policing. The SAPS reported that they were confident that the 2005/06 budget allocation for the Department as well as the MTEF, made provision for increases in these areas.

The 2005/06 Vote with measurable objectives is divided as follows:

• Administration: No measurable objective included.
• Visible Policing: To discourage all crimes, through providing a proactive and responsive policing service that will prevent the priority crimes rate from increasing.
• Detective Services: To contribute to the successful prosecution of crime, by investigating and gathering all related evidence, and thereby preventing the priority crimes detection rate from decreasing.
• Crime Intelligence: To contribute to the neutralisation of crime by gathering, collating and analysing information which leads to an actionable policing activity.
• Protection and Security Services: To minimise security violations by protecting foreign and local prominent people and securing strategic areas.

The SAPS budget has shown significant growth over the last few years since 2003/04 and will continue to grow during the MTEF. The following table illustrates that the budget for the Department of Safety and Security for 2005/06 has increased by 15.8 % in nominal terms and 11.3% in real terms in comparison to 2004/05.

The budget of the Department has been supplemented this year by an additional allocation of R1, 6 billion for 2005/06, R2, 3 billion for 2006/07 and R3, 3 billion for 2007/08.

This additional allocation (over and above the allocations specified in last years MTEF) will be used to:

• Increase the salaries of police: Of this additional allocation, approximately R4, 2 billion will be used over the medium term to improve police salaries in order to ensure the retention of scarce skills and to address issues related to performance-based pay progression and the development of career pathing.
• Appoint additional personnel: Of this additional allocation, R660 million has been earmarked over the medium term to hire an additional 9 090 police men and women, specifically for improving policing capacity at identified government installations, ports of entry and exit and strategic facilities. A total of 1 200 additional personnel will be recruited in 2005/06 and approximately 7 900 in the following two financial years.
• Carry through of 2004/05 salary adjustments: R2.2 billion is allocated over the next three years for salary adjustments.

The total allocations for 2005/06 for:

• Infrastructure: R380, 6 million in comparison to R345, 9 million in 2004/05.
• Information and communication technology: R826, 5 million in comparison to R807, 6 million in 2004/05.
• Training: R431, 8 million in comparison with R398, 3 million in 2004/05.
• Integrated Justice System: R178 million in comparison to R133 million for 2004/05.
• Vehicles: R841 million in comparison to R814 million for 2004/05.

Key areas of expansion in this budget include the employment of additional personnel, capital infrastructure, Integrated Justice System priorities, modernisation and expansion of the vehicle fleet, modernisation of computer technology, implementation of the Firearms Control Act, additional equipment such as bullet proof vests and expansion of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). New spending priorities for 2005/06 include improved remuneration to SAPS members and closed circuit televisions (CCTV).

The most significant increase in the 2005/06 budget in comparison to 2004/05 is in the Protection and Security Services Programme which increases by 36%. This increase is largely due to the enlistment of an additional 1 200 members during 2005/06 to capacitate the pilot projects which fall under this programme.

The Administration programme is the second largest programme in the Safety and Security budget and increases by 16% in 2005/06 in comparison to the previous year. A part of this increase is due to:

• The modernisation of the vehicle fleet.
• Installation of the radio communication network in Gauteng.

Visible Policing is the largest programme in the budget and increases by 12% for 2005/06 in comparison to the previous year. Increases in expenditure for this programme are largely due to:

• The recruitment of new personnel: An additional 29 790 personnel will be recruited over the next 3 years of which 17 790 are in addition to the replacements needed because of staff turnover.

Key outputs:

• Sector policing is implemented in 88 (56%) of the 156 sectors at the presidential stations
• Sector policing is implemented in 219 (53%) of the 417 sectors at priority stations.
• Successes are noted in the reduction of priority crimes and illegal firearms. Increases are noted in the detection of stolen vehicles at ports of entry and exit but decreases are noted in terms of the detection of drugs, firearms and illegal goods.

The Detective Services Programme increases by 19% in 2005/06 in comparison to the previous year. Increases to this programme will go toward:

• Improving the functions of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units.
• Enhancing the quality of detective policing.

Key outputs:

• Targets are related to the number of charges going to court, detection rates and the speed of finalisation of cases by the Forensic Science Laboratory and the Criminal Record Centre.

The Crime Intelligence programme increases by 24% in comparison to the previous year. Increases in the budget for this programme will go toward increasing the capacity of the division.

Key outputs:

• 42 undercover operations were registered or investigated in 2003/04.

This programme increases most rapidly over the MTEF rising on average by 23.7% each year. These increases are due to:

• The enlistment of an additional 1 200 members during 2005/06 and a further 7 900 over the following 2 years specifically to capacitate the 3 existing pilot projects in Johannesburg International Airport, Cape Town Metrorail and Beit Bridge border post (phase 1) and the further two pilot projects at Durban Harbour and the high courts (phase 2).

A number of key points were made by SITA, including:

• Financial Review: The revenue received from the SAPS for SITA services has increase by 83% between 1999/2000 and 2004/05. According to the SITA, this increase can be explained by the growth of services provided to the SAPS. They stated that the services provided by the SITA far outstrip the growth in revenue. In addition, of the total revenue increase, the percentage growth of revenue that accrues directly to the SITA has increased by only 13% between 1999/2000 and 2004/05. In contrast, non-SITA revenue increased by 133% during this same period.
• Ring-fencing of resources: One of the key problems with the SAPS relates to ring-fencing of SAPS service providers at SITA, which means that those people who service the SAPS should not be utilised for other functions and other departments. The SAPS wants all these human resources to be ring-fenced. Currently, the SITA ring-fences approximately 80% of SAPS resources. This flexibility provides them with the ability to offer quality services to the SAPS, as well as more cost effective services. SITA’s approach is that ring-fencing makes little business sense and will result in higher payments by government departments. Other measures such as the imposition of penalties, can be used to ensure quality services.
• Profitability of the SITA: The SITA was established as a non-profit, government owned entity and receives no subsidy from government. All revenue comes from the provision of services to government departments. The SITA believes that in order to remain viable, it should aim to ensure a slight profit. This can then be used to guard against the non-payment of debt by government departments, ensure cash flow, be utilised in research and development and for training. Profit that is not absorbed by the SITA will be refunded to National Treasury.

The Secretariat briefed the Portfolio Committee on its annual plan for the period 2005 - 2006, providing details of its programmes, as well as of its budget. The mission of the Secretariat is to ensure effective civilian oversight of the SAPS through monitoring and evaluating the functioning of the service and the provision of legal and policy advice to the Minister of Safety and Security, as well as provide the Minister with administrative and communication support.

Accordingly, the Secretariat’s strategic priorities are:

• Social Crime Prevention
• Monitoring and Evaluation of SAPS
• Transformation
• Legal Services
• Policy Research and Development
• Communication and Liaison
• Corporate Services

To give effect to these priorities, the Secretariat has 10 programmes, the budget for each programme being as follows:

The Secretariat clarified its relationship with the Provincial Secretariats as being collaborative in nature. The Provincial Secretariats are entirely independent of the National Secretariat. The Provinces determine the budgets for the Provincial Secretariats and they report to their Provincial Executive Councils. However, the Provincial Secretariats participate in many of the National Secretariat’s projects, and contribute financially to these projects.

POPCRU and SAPU made a joint presentation to the Portfolio Committee. The Unions raised a number of issues of concern regarding the SAPS budget:

• The Unions believe that there has been an improvement in service delivery in the Department of Safety and Security, and that this is indicative of the collective efforts of members of the service, as well as the labour peace that exists within the sector. However, the fact that members of the SAPS work under difficult conditions and face increased security responsibilities, some of which are international, should not be forgotten.
• The Unions welcomed the intention to increase the current fleet of vehicles, but requested that the vehicles be user friendly (for example, they should include first aid kits and have air-conditioning), and take into account other factors relating to ensuring the security of members.
• The initiatives to increase the salaries of members of SAPS was also welcomed but it was noted that there is a rollover of approximately R600 million for salary adjustments. The Unions hoped that this amount, together with the new allocations would be utilised for salary adjustments.
• The Unions raised the issue of consultation and requested that in future it be included in the Department’s development of its budget and strategic plan.
• The Unions raised as a concern, the shortage of scarce skills personnel and the fact that the Department’s Employee Assistance Programme is inadequate given the stressful and sometimes traumatic conditions under which SAPS members work.

The following are the key findings and concerns of the Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security in relation to the budget of the Department of Safety and Security:

Salary increases: According to the Department, the salary increases will be implemented over three years and over this period the increases will be substantial, particularly for those officers at the lower levels. The salary increases will cover all levels between levels 1-12. The increases are allocated as a percentage of salary. This will mean, in practice, that while the percentage increases will be the same over the various levels, the take home pay will differ as 8% of a higher salary bracket is more than 8% of a lower salary. Those in the higher earning brackets will take home higher increases. The Department submits that this is, however, in line with the priority of the SAPS to retain skilled personnel, especially personnel in the detective services. Thus salary adjustments (and improvements to salaries) can be used as a way of retaining skilled detectives without turning them into managers and thus losing their operational skills. The Department stressed that salary increases are linked to performance and thus only those personnel who have performed adequately will be rewarded with increases. Negotiations on the salary adjustments with the unions have begun, to ensure agreement on the principle that qualifications for salary adjustments will be based on performance.

The Portfolio Committee raised concerns as to whether the salary increases will decrease the salary gap between junior and senior personnel. In addition, the Committee questioned the link between receipt of increases and performance.

Borderline policing: According to the Department assured the Committee that the SANDF members would have to meet all the criteria for general recruits with regard to physical, psychological and psychometric standards.

The Portfolio Committee required assurance that the quality of personnel acquired by the SAPS from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for borderline policing would be on a par with SAPS standards.

Promotions and transfers: According to the Department stated that the promotion policy could never meet the career aspirations of all personnel, as there are only a limited number of management posts. In addition, in terms of transfers, SAPS members are aware on enlistment that they may be deployed anywhere in the country at any time. These are the basic working realities that SAPS members need to come to terms with. The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) should provide support to members facing difficulties in these and other areas. This is a three-pronged programme offering social work, psychological and spiritual support.

Members of the Committee stated that some of the personnel policies such as those of transfers and promotions lead to stress and depression amongst SAPS members.

Physical resources: According to the Department the SAPS is almost fully stocked in terms of equipment and that they have sufficient vehicles (especially in rural areas), vests and firearms. However, a key concern remains the effective use and distribution of the physical resources, to ensure that they are distributed evenly and used properly. In addition, a key priority has been identified as the development and use of high tech requirements. The SAPS will develop a technology strategy in conjunction with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to identify high tech needs and will take this to National Treasury to acquire funding. The Department reiterated that each member now has his or her own bullet proof vest. Though these are heavy, uncomfortable to wear and not designed for women, they are effective. However, in the light of inputs by Members of the Portfolio Committee that not all police have their own vest, the Department has committed itself to auditing the vests and will ensure that each member has a vest in the next few months.

Members required assurance that there was sufficient provision made in the budget for physical resources such as vehicles and bulletproof vests to ensure that SAPS members could function effectively. Problems with the bulletproof vests were identified, including the fact that they are heavy and uncomfortable to wear, especially for women, which means that SAPS members are reluctant to wear the vests. The Department of Safety and Security must forward a list of the planned construction of police stations to the office of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security, within 1 month after tabling of this report.

Shortages and training of Detectives: According to the Department the granted strength for detectives is 17 500 but at present the SAPS only has 14 500 detectives. It is a priority to fill this gap, but the requirement is that detectives must be properly trained. In recognition of this, the 6-week training programme for detectives has been increased to 3 months. Thus, fewer detectives can be recruited and trained each year. Additional facilities may be required for detective training. Approximately 1 000 additional members were trained as detectives in 2004/05. It is envisaged that 30% of all new intakes will be utilised by the detective branch, but these new recruits will need to undergo training first before they become functional. The SAPS stated that 1 200 middle management commanders amongst the general detectives, 30 in the serious and violent crime units, 75 in the commercial crime units and 54 in the organised crime units will be trained in 2005/06.

The Portfolio Committee highlighted the need for increased resourcing of the Detective Services programme and improving the training of commanders.

Management of stations: According to the Department the performance management system has been implemented (90%) amongst stations nationwide and will assist in improving the capacity of managers to provide proper guidance and direction to SAPS members on the ground.

Members raised concerns that the poor performance of station managers mitigated against the ability of the SAPS to offer effective services in line with their policy and legislative requirements.

Intranet access: The Portfolio Committee raised a concern that they had been previously briefed by the Department that all police stations had access to the SAPS intranet system, but this did not seem likely, as some police stations still do not have electricity or computers

The Department agreed that this information was incorrect and that not all police stations have access to the SAPS intranet or the internet.

Payment of reservists: Committee members raised concerns around the non-payment of reservists. Reservists are only paid for travel, food and when the police calls them out for duty.

Rural policing: Members raised particular problems faced in rural areas especially with regard to satellite stations not operating on a 24-hour basis.

The Department committed itself to sending the National Evaluation Service to the identified rural stations to assist in rectifying the problems. However, while the long-term strategy is to have permanent police stations in all area, in the shorter term this is not possible and satellite and mobile stations need to be utilised. All problems, identified by Members of the Committee, related to particular police stations in the various provinces must be brought to the attention of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee who will assist in interventions in this regard.

Security of police stations: Members raised the concern that private security companies are used to guard police stations.

The Department explained that it is more cost effective to hire security companies to guard police stations. The rationale being that it is a waste of resources to use trained SAPS members for guard duties. The budget for the private companies comes from the budget of the specific environment i.e. when guarding colleges, the budget for guarding comes from the college budget. The Department of Safety and Security should provide a written report to the Committee within 1 month after tabling of this report, outlining the relatives costs of guarding the police stations by:

• Normal SAPS members
• Private security companies.
• Guards employed by the SAPS.

Firearms: Members raised concerns around the processing of competency certificates.

The Department of Safety and Security has agreed to make available information with regard to measures taken to ensure that the Firearms Control Board will be able to process the envisaged large number of competency certificates during 2005/06 considering that they were only able to process 99 certificates during 2004/05. This information must be supplied within 1 month after tabling of this report.

SITA: The Department stated that the service level agreements have not been signed, as the SAPS have been extremely unhappy with the quality of service offered by SITA. A turnaround strategy is being compiled and it is hoped that with the recruitment of the new CEO the quality of service will improve.

The Committee raised a concern that the amount paid over to SITA is very high and yet the service level agreements have not been signed between the SITA and the SAPS.

Additional concerns were raised both by members of the Committee and by the SAPS representatives with regard to SITA. These included the following issues:

• The figures presented in the financial review pertained only to the 2004/05 budget and not to the 2005/06 budget which was the topic under discussion by the Committee. The SITA stated that they did not have final 2005/06 budget figures as these figures had not been relayed to them due to non-finalisation of the service level agreements with the SAPS for the 2005/06 financial year.
• The document provided by SITA was too vague and contained abbreviations which were not understood by the Committee Members. The Members required more detail with regard to exactly how SAPS has benefited in terms of increased expenditure for the SITA. This should include a description of growth in terms of the various service level agreements and detailed cost breakdown for each of these agreements. This should be forwarded to the Committee within 1 month after tabling of this report.
• The Committee is concerned about the breakdown in relationship between SITA and the SAPS. Numerous concerns were raised by the SAPS. The SAPS has agreed to record these concerns in a written document which must be forwarded to the Committee within I month after tabling of this report.

Unions: The Committee raised as a concern the lack of consultation between the Department and the Unions regarding the budget and strategic plans of the Department. The Committee is also concerned that the increased salaries be met with increased service delivery. Of great concern is the lack of discipline that can be observed at many stations and, in this regard, the Committee requested that the Unions play their role in promoting discipline and service delivery.

The SAPS clarified the issue of the rollover amount of R600 million for salary adjustments. The amount arises out of an agreement that was made in the Public Service Bargaining Council relating to housing allowances and pensions. The SAPS is waiting for instructions from the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) regarding how it should allocate this money. The SAPS noted that structures do exist that allow for consultation with the Unions, and that documentation relating to its budget and strategic plans is available.

Administration Programme: The Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security supports the allocation to this programme. In particular, the Committee supports the measures to improve police salaries. In addition, the Committee supports the role of the Secretariat in providing civilian oversight over the Department. The Committee also supports initiatives to modernise and expand the vehicle fleet. The Department should ensure that increases in members are accompanied by sufficient increases to the number of vehicles (and other resources such as bullet proof vests) allocated.

Visible Policing: The Portfolio Committee supports the additional allocations to this programme and the expansion of sector policing to 169 stations around the country. The Committee will continue to monitor developments with regard to the deployment of the SAPS in borderline duties and the transfer of SANDF members to the SAPS for this purpose. Committee members also raised concerns regarding the financial status of the Community Policing Forums (CPFs).

Detective Services: The Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security supports the increases to this programme, which will go toward enhancing the quality of investigations and improving the functions of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units. The Committee would recommend that even more attention is given to ensuring that the shortage of detectives is addressed and that they are properly trained. The Committee supports measures to ensure the retention of the operational skills of detectives by implementing pay progressions.

Crime Intelligence: The Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security supports this allocation.

Protection and Security Services: The Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security supports this allocation including the enlistment of additional members to capacitate the various pilot projects that are being implemented around the country.

The Portfolio Committee of Safety and Security will continue to play a role in providing oversight over the functioning of the Department of Safety and Security to ensure that the SAPS and the Secretariat function effectively in line with their legislative and policy requirements.