South Africa’s crime-fighting crisis laid bare by shocking police failures

You only have to look at the concerning revelations from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to realise what a sorry state of affairs the South African Police Service (Saps) is in.

No matter our opinions of Saps, it seems it is far worse than we thought.

Murder detection rate falls far below target

According to information revealed by parliament’s portfolio committee on police, Saps recorded a murder detection rate of just 9.5% against a target of 60%, raising concerns about the country’s ability to solve violent crimes.

Last week, figures presented to parliament showed that more than 97% of DNA profiles were not completed within the required 30-day period during the last financial year.

As per committee chair Ian Cameron, to hear Saps achieved only 49 of its 94 annual performance targets is embarrassing. Simply put, a murder detection rate of just 9.5% against a target of 60% is disgusting.

DNA delays hamper crime investigations

Cameron said more than 230 000 profiles were completed late, with nearly 166 000 DNA reference samples still awaiting administrative processing at Saps.

Without this how do you identify suspects, exclude innocent people and link separate crimes? What a joke.

Poor leadership and a lack of resources

Institute for Security Studies expert Willem Els said: “The police’s ability to fulfil their constitutional mandate in crime detection and investigation has been compromised by inadequate intelligence, poor leadership and a lack of resources. Detectives are overwhelmed, often receiving 300 to 400 or more new case dockets monthly, making effective investigations impossible.”

He added: “The crisis begins with leadership failures. Leaders without practical investigative experience cannot effectively guide detectives or advocate for the training, staffing and resources they need.”

It just goes to show that police do not do the job they are paid to do. No wonder why we have commissions to establish what the police are doing and why people don’t trust the police.