Scene setting by the Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu at the National Policing Summit

Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Gauteng

President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa,
Premier of Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi,
Ministers in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Clusters,
Deputy Ministers of Police, Mr Cassel Mathale and Ms Polly Boshielo, all Deputy Ministers in attendance,
Mayor of Ekurhuleni, Alderman Xhakaza,
MEC’s and MMC’s present,
The National Commissioner, General Masemola,
Head of DPCI, General (DR/Adv) Lebeya, Heads of entities in the SAPS,
Deputy National Commissioners present,
Divisional Commissioners,
Provincial Commissioners,
President of POPCRU, Mr Thulani Ngwenya and representatives,
President of SAPU, Mr Thabo Matsose and representatives,
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, and members,
Chairperson of the Community Policing Forum, Ms Lukas,
Members of academia, experts in various fields present today,
Government officials in attendance,
Members of the media,
All protocol observed.

Mr President, we would like to express our profound appreciations for your presence in this, the first inaugural Summit of the South African Police Service. Along with that, we appreciate the presence of all our Guests, you are welcome.

The Summit comes exactly 8 months and 2 days since the new Ministry assumed duty in the SAPS.

In this period, we sought to understand all the work done over the years and to fully appreciate it. In the same period, we have come to understand the challenges in our policing system and what needs to be done, in line with amongst others, the priorities of the 7th Administration.

Among the first things to master, is exactly how to police the country effectively and efficiently amid shortages in terms of police numbers to the population, budgetary constraints, and where there is high rate of crime and corruption, especially in the four biggest provinces, namely: Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, the Eastern and Western Cape. The overall test we must pass is for the citizens to say we feel safe at any time and almost everywhere in our space, especially where we live – urban and rural areas.

Vulnerable people, especially Women and Children, are increasingly under attack via Gender-Based Violence and Femicide; we are very concerned about this and it is our priority. We are equally concerned about the murder rate in the country, the easy availability of firearms especially illegal firearms and drugs. We are working very hard to reduce organised crime, as this is the main contributor to crime levels in the country. In addition, we believe we can substantially minimise, if not eliminate gang related violence in the country. Of late, we note increases in kidnappings, extortion, Cash-In-Transit heists and stock theft. The 3rd quarter crime statistics indicate a decline, but it is far from where we want it to be.

We are hard at work on Border Control measures with the Border Management Authority and Home Affairs; this will be taken further at the next JCPS next meeting on the 24th of April.

Worrisomely, there is no doubt that corruption within the SAPS requires tackling –and are dealing decisively with it.

The Summit will delve on a range of matters, with some focus among others on: proactive policing, partnerships, our infrastructure, crime intelligence and increasing the usage of technology.

We are embarking on the implementation of a reconfigured organisational structure, both in form and in functionality, suitable to fight crime in the country.

The outcomes of the SAPS Employee Health and Wellness Workshop will filter through discussions and will be summarised into the main outcomes of the Summit. The overall objective is to ensure that everyone in the house reaches higher levels of satisfaction – if not happiness and healthiness.

Mr President, we are happy that last night we took another step in solidifying our working relations with business; the pledge we signed over dinner related to the following:

• collaborating proactively in identifying and implementing initiatives that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system;
• investing resources in crime prevention, investigation and resolution to create a safer environment for businesses and communities;
• fostering a constructive partnership between business and government; ensuring open communication and coordinated efforts to address crime and security concerns; and 
• lastly, upholding ethical standards and working with integrity in all efforts to combat crime and its impact on society. 

We have a number of identified projects which we will implement together with business; amongst these are automating police stations, commencing with five pilot stations and eventually rolling out nation-wide. We will be digitising our docket management systems. As the SAPS, we have plans to increase the number of laboratories and business has also come on board and has pledged to furnish our labs with state of the art equipment, in addition to increasing the number of labs – inclusive of an e-lab.

In the main, it was dinner with business, mainly organised by Business Against Crime South Africa. The SAPS/Business Stakeholder Forum will take forward what we have pledged to.

Our theme for this term’s Summit is: “Efficiency In Action: Optimising South Africa’s Policing Potential”. We want to stay true to this theme via the outcomes that we will pursue in terms of implementation throughout this year.

In the end, crime must fall in South Africa.

At this point, I have the singular honour to request the President of the Republic of South Africa, to address us.