Crime intelligence is SA cops' top performing programme

Out of the five police programmes, crime intelligence was the only programme which had achieved 100 percent of its predetermined targets for the 2014/15 period.

With R2,884 billion in expenditure achieved, crime intelligence achieved all its seven targets, matching performance and expenditure perfectly.

In terms of capacity building, 16 posts at brigadier level had been advertised, and 15 have since been filled.

However, there were concerns relating to crime intelligence, which included whether service delivery performance was accurately measured, as well as the use of informants and the amounts paid out to them in 2014/15.

A lack of capacity in the crime intelligence environment was also highlighted as a concern that has been “raised continuously”.

These findings were presented before the portfolio committee on police by its researcher, Nicolette van Zyl-Gous, following the release of national crime statistics earlier this month.

The other police programmes include administration, visible policing, protection and security services, and detective services.

Detective services was found to be the worst performing programme, with only 60 percent of its targets achieved while it achieved 100 percent of its R15,15 billion expenditure.

Targets not achieved, of which there were eight out of 20, included detection rates for serious crimes, trial-ready case dockets for serious crimes, and detection and conviction rates for serious crimes.

However, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) – which falls within the detective services programme – had achieved a 100 percent success rate, as well as 100 percent expenditure.

Van Zyl-Gous discussed briefly protection and security services.

Here, 100 percent expenditure had been achieved with only 83 percent of target success rate.

Of the 94 352 protection operations conducted, only one breach occurred “due to insufficient infrastructure”.

Van Zyl-Gous also made mention of a news report by the Sunday Times on members of the protection services being abused by ministers. According to the report, members were being made to work overtime and drive above the speed limit.

Van Zyl-Gous said the South African Police Union had confirmed numerous complainants in this regard.

Under visible policing, it was found that the programme had not achieved targets, including the reduction of a number of reported serious crimes by two percent, a reduction in the number of reported crimes against women by two percent, and the 84,3 percent recovery rate of stolen or robbed firearms – only 73,1 percent had been achieved.

Some of the findings under the administration programme included resignations, irregular expenditure, and filling vacancies.

In 2014/15, there were 5 610 members who left the service, the majority of which were resignations – a total of 3 477.

The average time to fill such vacancies – and others – was 4.8 months, which meant administration was not filling their target of three months.

A positive finding was that the programme had managed to significantly reduce its irregular expenditure over last couple of years. In 2014/15, it stood at R87,000.

Van Zyl-Gous concluded, saying there were a number of key concerns in terms of the department.

Of these was the unequal ratio of performance versus expenditure, the insufficient “trickling down” of policies to station level, and the general lack of internal control at a station level. - ANA

(File photo: Gallo Images)