FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 868

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 31 MARCH 2017

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 12- 2017)

868. Mrs A M Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister of Police:

1. (a) What is the number of unsolved murder cases in each district in Gauteng and (b) how many of these cases relate to (i) hijacking, (ii) taxi violence, (iii) burglary and (iv) random robbery;

2. whether there exists a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the SA Police Service and each metro police department within Gauteng in relation to crime fighting in their jurisdictions; if not, why not; if so, will he provide Mrs A M Dreyer with a copy of each MOU?

NW934E

REPLY:

(1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)

(2) There is no Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between any of the three Metro Police Departments (MPDs) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng.

There are three fully established MPDs in Gauteng, namely:

Johannesburg MPD;

Ekurhuleni MPD; and

Tshwane MPD.

The SAPS has, however, established a National Forum for MPDs, which includes all of the MPDs in the Gauteng Province. The Forum, chaired by the Divisional Commissioner: Visible Policing on behalf of the Acting National Commissioner, convenes on a quarterly basis. The Forum is attended by the Provincial Commissioners in whose provinces MPDs have been established, namely Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

The purpose of the Forum is to coordinate joint operations between the SAPS and the various MPDs, informed by the identified crime threats and tendencies in the relevant jurisdictions. Senior members of the various MPDs also attend Provincial Joint Intelligence and Operational Structure (Prov JOINTS), during which integrated operations are planned.

The Forum also coordinates the quality assurance of entry-level qualifications for MPD members, while additional, specific training is provided by the SAPS, including: drill and physical training, management and leadership training, crowd management training and general policing training (predominantly using a “train-the-trainer” approach).

The SAPS in Gauteng is also supported by the Gauteng Traffic Police who also mobilise the smaller Municipal Police Departments to provide a joint integrated approach to policing.

The Gauteng Law Enforcement Agencies Forum (GLEAF) was established in 2015. This forum coordinates and drives joint interventions between the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies. The forum accounts for all joint operations within Gauteng and guides the need for specific interventions at all levels. The forum is chaired and headed by the Deputy Provincial Commissioner Policing: Gauteng and consists of all SAPS Operational Heads and Police Chiefs.

The forum is an effective operational command structure that has yielded good results. The following priority committees were established:

Bad Buildings;

By-Law Management;

Counterfeit Goods;

Taxi Violence;

Road Safety; and

Illegal Mining.

The above-mentioned committees plan and execute joint, integrated operations, addressing specific problems and report monthly to the GLEAF on actions executed, successes and future interventions. Several discussions and planning sessions were held during 2016/17 and a MOU will be facilitated during May 2017, after considering the inputs received.

The SAPS and MPDs have, in partnership with the Member of the Executive Committee (MEC) for Community Safety, compiled the following strategies that drive the joint integrated approach to policing in Gauteng:

The Gauteng Safety Strategy; and

The Gauteng Integrated Policing Strategy.

Issued by Parliament, 27 June 2017