Durban - Police officers are leaving the SAPS in droves with 1300 detectives abandoning the force in four years.
Stakeholders attribute this to work overload, the lack of resources, nepotism, and corruption within the SAPS.
The DA said in an answer to a parliamentary question recently that Bheki Cele, the minister of police, had acknowledged there was a decline in the number of personnel in detective services.
Andrew Whitfield, DA MP and spokesperson on police, said there were 1300 fewer detectives across the country since 2018. This, he said, resulted in increased caseloads for other overworked colleagues.
“During a recent oversight visit to a police station in Pietermaritzburg, a detective told me he had 280 dockets (cases). No detective should have to carry such an overwhelming burden. It’s no wonder crime is on the rise,” said Whitfield.
According to the fourth quarter crime statistics, more than 67 people are killed and 153 raped each day in South Africa.
“The SAPS cannot afford fewer detectives. They need more. You cannot put a price on quality investigative work by committed and capable detectives. This is a division that requires immediate attention.
“The DA will take the fight for additional resources for SAPS detective services to the portfolio committee on police so that we can improve the critical police work that will put the criminals behind bars.”
He said in March this year, the DA had tabled a motion of no confidence against Cele and the Cabinet.
“Minister Cele has done nothing to address the critical shortcomings of SAPS, which have contributed to increased violent crime with the last quarter crime statistics.
“The DA is fighting for improved policing for all South Africans and we are going to take this fight to remove Minister Cele straight to the door of President Cyril Ramaphosa.”
Jacques Broodryk, the campaigns manager for AfriFoum, a civil rights organisation, said in light of there being 1 300 fewer detectives, they also wanted Cele to be dismissed.
“In a country where 67 people are killed daily, it is unacceptable that these personnel (detectives) have not been replaced. Detectives are the key to solving crimes. We are losing experienced people.”
A detective, who declined to be named, said: “Colleagues are leaving due to the lack of promotions. But most are leaving because of the lack of manpower, resources, work overload, and corruption within the force.
“Some of us are sitting with up to 180 dockets. The cases vary from murder and assault to rape and robbery. Being a detective is stressful. Many of us cannot cope. I fear that in a few years, there will not be any seasoned detectives.
“At some stations, police officers that come out of college are being thrown into detective work. They have no experience and the older detectives don’t have the time to train or mentor them because of their workloads.
“In addition, some of our resources, including our police vehicles, are in a bad condition. We have had them for more than 15 years and it adds to some of our difficulties in apprehending criminals.”
Another detective said he currently had 200 dockets.
“Among the cases, I am investigating murders, robberies, inquests and culpable homicides. The workload is heavy and my commanders and the public are pressuring me to finalise the investigations. How is one person expected to handle 200 cases with no help?”
He said the station he worked at had new detectives but no one to mentor them.
“When I started off as a detective, a senior officer showed me the ropes and guided me through my investigations. The juniors now are left to fend for themselves. This is also a reason why investigations take longer to be finalised.
“To add to this, we are sharing computers. Some stations don’t have simple things like a photocopier. These are obstacles to us doing our jobs. Detectives are stressed out and they leave.”
Mary De Haas, a violence monitor in KZN, said: “Convictions for serious crimes such as murder are already low. The shortage of detectives and deteriorated training standards are part and parcel of an atrociously managed SAPS.
“Getting to management positions is in most cases and with some exceptions about who you know or are related to, or connected to politically rather than competence.
“Detective work is needed to get prosecutions, which are likely to lead to convictions. Bad police management and training; the failure to use competent, experienced people because of nepotism; and corruption in SAPS are the reasons for police officers wanting to leave.”
She said detectives were faced with other challenges such as delayed evidence from other policing components like ballistics and forensic reports.
Lesiba Thobakgale, the spokesperson for the South African Police Union, said they were not surprised by the number of detectives leaving the SAPS.
“It is not only detectives but officers from other sectors of police that have left. The work overload is too much. We have detectives sitting with between 300 and 500 dockets at a time. There is not enough manpower even for visible policing and public order policing.”
Thobakgale said the lack of promotion, the work environment, and the lack of resources such as vehicles and office equipment added to the challenges of investigations.
“We have three officers who are sharing one vehicle and each person needs to be in different areas that are far apart. How does one get their investigations done like this? We have asked the SAPS to embark on a strong recruitment drive. We welcome that they have 10 000 people in college but that is not enough.”
Innocentia Nthabeleng Molefe, the secretary for the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, said they had noticed a decline in membership.
“Two years ago, we had 25 000 police officers across the board. Now there are only 22 000 officers. They are faced with a shortage of resources and heavy workloads.”
Lirandzu Themba, the spokesperson for the Police Ministry, directed POST's questions on the shortage of detectives, resources and the workload of officers, to the national and KZN branches of the SAPS.
Colonel Athlenda Mathe, the national spokesperson for the police, said: “These (the shortage of detectives, workload and resources) were operational matters because they are speaking to numbers and that is the information we do not discuss in the public domain.”
The provincial SAPS office did not comment at the time of publication.
The Post