| 2025/04/11 |
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Hatfield, Pretoria
Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu; Deputy Minister of Police, Mr Cassel Mathale; The CEO of PSIRA, Mr Manabela Chauke; National Head of DPCI, Lt General (Dr/Adv) Godfrey Lebeya; Deputy National Commissioners for Crime Detection, Lt Gen Sibiya; Divisional Commissioners Present; Senior officers present; Ladies and gentlemen; Members of the Media; Good Morning Receive our greetings this morning on behalf of the South African Police Service. As per the Minister’s overview, we address this media briefing at the backdrop of having concluded a significant, highly constructive and successful three days, maiden National Policing Summit. Over the past three days, we progressively engaged with seasoned researchers, academic leaders, business sector, subject matter experts and community structures on how to turn the tide, recalibrate and reposition the South African Police Service for the future we collectively envision. The Policing Summit 2025, themed “Efficiency in Action: Optimising South Africa’s Policing Potential,” was convened to address high crime rate, reduced public confidence in law enforcement, and police service that is operating under increasing demands and limited resources. During the summit deliberations, we assessed the current state and performance of the SAPS, focussed on operational inefficiencies and we identified pragmatic strategies that will improve and advance maximum effectiveness in policing while strategically repositioning the SAPS to ensure long-term relevance, heightened professionalism, and the restoration of public trust. Ladies and gentlemen, in marking this momentous hosting of the policing summit and to demonstrate the unwavering commitment of the South African Police Service to the summit resolutions and programme of action. The SAPS will establish a National Policing Summit Operations Room. This facility will house a permanent scoreboard that will track and trace progress on the resolutions of the summit periodically for the next five years. Ladies and gentlemen, we believe that this significant move will hold the management of the SAPS accountable to the nation; as we commit to turnaround the policing direction of this country. This will equally respond to the directive of His Excellency President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, during his address at the opening of the Policing Summit on Tuesday 8 April 2025, when he reiterated the importance of positioning Batho Pele principles at the centre of policing and reduce violent crime by half in the country. In line with the Policing Summit Programme of Action, the South African Police Service in collaboration with other key stakeholders, will outline the implementation plan with clear indication of the immediate and medium to long term deliverables, which is aligned to the SAPS Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030 and equally supported by the Ministerial Priorities and the Medium-Term Development Plan. At its core, the summit sought to create a collaborative, multi-sectoral platform for: • Critically assessing the current state and performance of the SAPS. • Exploring the root causes of operational inefficiencies. • Engaging diverse voices to debate, present, and reflect on what is working—and what is not—in the current policing approach. • Identifying pragmatic strategies that can enhance the service’s ability to deliver safety and security more effectively. The summit’s focus was not on theoretical discussion alone, but rather on diagnosing real operational challenges, understanding community perceptions, and analysing systemic shortcomings. The summit placed special emphasis on rethinking how SAPS can maximise its impact within existing constraints while repositioning itself for long-term relevance, professionalism, and enhancing public trust in policing. Reflections on Key Themes and Discussions 1. Police Presence vs. Visibility: Reimagining Service Delivery The first day of the summit interrogated the difference between being seen and being felt in communities. While the SAPS often reports on patrols and deployments, the quality and impact of these efforts on safety perceptions was central to the conversation. • Discussions reflected a disconnect between visible policing efforts and actual community safety outcomes, prompting a call for a more intentional, impact-focused presence. • Experts and community representatives explored how evidence-based policing models have already demonstrated success in certain localities, highlighting the need to scale and replicate those models. • The discussions addressed the importance of police behaviour and conduct during interactions with the public. Poor conduct erodes public trust, while ethical, respectful, and professional engagement fosters cooperation. Participants reflected on how small, day-to-day interactions shape broader public attitudes toward SAPS. • A notable thread through all discussions was the recognition that active citizenry—community involvement in crime prevention—is not just desirable but essential. Sessions emphasised practical steps for creating structures and partnerships that support this. 2. Adapting to the Evolving Policing Landscape Day two was structured to reflect on the complex and dynamic environment in which the SAPS operates. The discussions were wide-ranging, responding to challenges that demand adaptability, agility, and systems thinking. • The Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS) served as a foundation for plenary discussions, offering a whole-of- government, whole-of-society approach to safety. • Presenters and panellists explored how global crime networks, local gang activity, and transnational organised crime threats like human trafficking and terrorism are reshaping the crime landscape. • Environmental design and demographic dynamics, including rapid urbanisation, population growth, and migration patterns, were highlighted as pressure points that directly affect policing demand and infrastructure requirements. • Sessions challenged SAPS to rethink station configurations, resource allocation, and service delivery models, to address high crime areas. • Firearms control and the proliferation of explosives and ammunition were discussed with urgency, recognising the significant impact of illegal weapons have on violent crime and the limitations of current legislative enforcement. Each discussion framed policing not as an isolated service but as a node within a wider ecosystem of safety, which requires coordination across all tiers of government, civil society, and the private sector. 3. Harnessing Technology for a Safer South Africa The afternoon of Day 2 shifted attention to technology as a transformative tool in the modernisation of policing. The sessions interrogated both current applications and future potential, asking how SAPS can innovate responsibly and effectively. • Summit discussions addressed real-time crime tracking, GIS mapping, AI-driven analytics, and predictive policing. Participants discussed how these technologies can help SAPS anticipate criminal activity and deploy resources more efficiently. • Emphasis was placed on data quality, interoperability of systems, and the critical need for digital literacy within SAPS. • Several discussions raised the issue of station infrastructure and how under-investment in ICT hardware, security, and connectivity continues to hinder technology uptake. • Community engagement was a recurring concern, particularly how digital platforms could be used to create new, accessible channels for reporting crime, sharing information, and building accountability. • The role of technology in solving complex crimes, particularly in areas like digital forensics and intelligence gathering, was explored with practical examples of local innovation and international best practice. • Police safety and station security were also addressed, with experts showcasing panic alert systems, CCTV, and threat detection technologies that can mitigate risks to officers and infrastructure. Technology was consistently framed not as an end in itself, but as a means to improve decision-making, increase response times, and enhance community safety. 4. Excellence in Policing: Building a Skilled and Professional Workforce Day three opened with the results of the SAPS Morale Survey, which painted a clear picture of low morale, high stress, and operational fatigue among police personnel. This became a powerful backdrop for discussions on organisational culture and performance. • Summit Deliberations focused on human capital development, including more vigorous recruitment processes such as integrity testing, targeted upskilling, and leadership transformation. • It was resolved that recruiting the right people into policing—those with integrity, resilience, and the right temperament—was fundamental to long-term service excellence. • Psychological wellbeing featured prominently. The summit explored how the trauma of daily exposure to violence affects performance, judgement, and long-term health. • Sessions on career development and mentorship underscored the need to move beyond compliance training towards deliberate leadership pipelines and structured professional growth pathways. • A core reflection was that professionalism is not a static standard but a culture that must be nurtured through consistent values, recognition of good work, and accountability for poor conduct. • Leadership with integrity was described as the cornerstone of a credible and effective SAPS. The discussions advocated for stronger systems to monitor and support ethical leadership, including transparent disciplinary processes. These sessions laid bare the internal realities that have an impact on service delivery and showed that efficiency cannot be achieved without a motivated, supported, and well-led workforce. Members of the media, the SAPS reiterates its commitment in addressing crime challenges and further implement an improved policing service that will create safer communities and build business confidence. I thank you
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