• Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed that SAPS has been allocated R1.8 billion for the procurement of new vehicles.
• The minister shared the information during an unpacking of the latest crime stats for South Africa.
• He says more vehicles will result in a higher visibility of policing.

Yesterday Police Minister Bheki Cele delivered the latest crime statistics for South Africa, unpacking numbers for the period of 1st January to 31st March 2023. The statistics showed declines in certain metrics, but still made for grim reading, with as many as 10 512 victims of rape being reported during the first three months of this year.

According to Cele, a solution to this highly concerning problem is increased police visibility, which is why he confirmed that the Department of Police has been allocation R.18 billion to procure more vehicles for SAPS and other law enforcement divisions.

How more vehicles on the road will lead to a decrease in sexual assaults and violence was not addressed by the minister. With close to half of the first quarters reported rapes (4 768) happening at the victim’s homes, R1.8 billion worth of new cars does not seem like the immediate fix that South Africans need.

By contrast, only R65 million has been allocated to the top 30 crime heavy police stations to address murder and other contact crimes, according to Cele.

Given that Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana allocated, “R14 billion over the medium term to fight crime and corruption” in his 2023 budget speech earlier this year, it begs the question as to where the rest of the budget will be going.

As Godongwana unpacked, the following areas have been prioritised with much-needed funding:

• “The South African Police Service is allocated R7.8 billion to appoint 5,000 police trainees per year.
• The National Prosecuting Authority receives R1.3 billion to support the implementation of the recommendations of the State Capture Commission and the Financial Action Task Force.
• The Financial Intelligence Centre is allocated an additional R 265.3 million to tackle organised and financial crime.
• The Special Investigating Unit is allocated R100 million to initiate civil litigation in the special tribunal, flowing from proclamations linked to  the recommendations of the State Capture Commission.
• The Department of Defence is allocated an additional R3.1 billion to enhance security on South Africa’s borders.”

In the interim, it looks as if an emphasis is being placed on procuring more technology for SAPS.

“SAPS is also enhancing specialised tracking teams, who will be trained further at provincial and district level to effectively track and apprehend offenders. The tracking teams will be instrumental in the success of Operation Shanela, where emphasis is also placed on executing arrest warrants,” noted Cele.

“More drone pilots are also being licensed and drone pilot interns are being recruited. Body-worn cameras, as well as shot spotters in high-density crime areas, are being prioritised,” he added.

While it looks like plenty of money is being spent, how effective these will be in improving the quality and efficiency of policing remains to be seen. Unfortunately only future crime stats briefings will provide an indication if any progress is being made.

[Image – CC BY-ND 2.0 GovernmentZA on Flickr]