The police service is working on adopting surveillance, analytics and smart policing solutions for modern law enforcement, said president Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address last night.
This, as government and the South African Police Service (SAPS) look to ensure the safety of everyone, according to the president.
In line with these efforts, the national police service has also partnered with metropolitan municipalities and is working with communities to fight crime in the priority provinces where crime is particularly high.
“We have seen the value of technology in fighting crime,” he said, referencing the gains the South African Revenue Service has made by using artificial intelligence in its fraud risk detection and verification work.
The president noted the police continue to work with other law enforcement agencies to dismantle organised crime syndicates and combat financial and violent crimes.
“We are intensifying Operation Shanela, which has been successful in arresting suspects, recovering firearms and seizing stolen vehicles.
“We must tackle the scourge of gun violence that has plagued our society for decades. I have asked the minister and national commissioner of police to prioritise reducing gun-related crime and violence. This includes preventing the diversion of firearms into the illicit market and recovering illegal firearms in circulation.”
Ramaphosa added that the country’s detective service, which is crucial to solving cases, will be expanded by 4 000 personnel through internal recruitment processes.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the city is ready to help the president reform and improve policing.
Over the last few years, Cape Town has adopted an intelligence-driven policing approach. Similarly, the Gauteng province is tapping into Vumacam’s CCTV camera network to fight the escalating levels of crime.
“We welcome the president’s commitment to crime-fighting partnerships between SAPS and metros. A memorandum of agreement is already in place to guide policing cooperation in Cape Town, and we are already sharing valuable crime-fighting data generated by the city’s safety technology investments of over R800 million,” says Hill-Lewis.
“We are especially encouraged by the president’s emphasis on taking illegal guns off the street to bring down violent crime in our most vulnerable communities.
“Our well-trained municipal officers already confiscate hundreds of illegal firearms annually and make thousands of drug arrests. We can do far more − and gain convictions – if our officers are given crime investigation powers to help SAPS and prosecutors build prosecution-ready case dockets for gang, gun, drug and extortion-related crime.
“This immediate boost for the state’s criminal investigative capacity can be quickly achieved by the police minister issuing regulations under the SAPS Act.”
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