DA calls for re-establishment of specialised drug units as Minister of Police remains without plan to increase low drug conviction rates

10 October 2016

Parliamentary replies to questions I asked about the drug-conviction rates in my constituency have revealed that Minister of Police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, have no real plan to combat the scourge. 

The replies reveal the following shockingly low drug conviction rates: 

- Kempton Park Police Station: 1.43%

- Norkem Park Police Station: 4.73%

- Edenvale Police Station: 5.76%

- Tembisa South Police Station: 9.18%

- Tembisa Police Station: 9.76%

- Boksburg North Police Station: 10:33%

- Primrose Police Station: 37.93%

- Bedfordview Police Station: 44.19%

Based on these statistics, the DA is once again calling on Minister Nhleko to urgently re-establish specialised drug units.

In the replies the Minister states that:

- "For Kempton Park a meeting was held with the Department of Justice. A possible solution is that members should be briefed during parades on the correct search and arrest procedures and the Forensic Science Laboratory is working on backlogs.”

- “For Norkem Park the drug conviction rate has improved due to the high density crime prevention operations and proper investigation of dockets.”

- “For Edenvale, assistance has been given by the specialist drug unit and the Senior Public Prosecutor was requested to initiate harsher sentences.”

- “For Tembisa South, the Senior Public Prosecutor was requested to communicate with the Department of Social Development to speed up long outstanding diversion programme reports.”

- “For Tembisa, involvement of the Community Policing Forum provide information on places where dagga is sold and meetings with the Department of Justice envisaged that suspects be convicted with smaller amounts of dagga.”

- “2 officers at Boksburg North were nominated to focus on drug-related crimes.” 

- “Regarding Primrose SAPS - conviction rates are dependent on external factors, e.g. Diversion Programmes. The South African Police Service has no influence on court proceedings and arrangements which are made between public prosecutors and defence attorneys. Compliance to Section 11 of the Drug and Drug Trafficking Act, (Act No 140 of 1992) while conducting searches, has an influence on court decisions. In-service training is being provided to members in this regard. Members are also encouraged to use Section 20 of the Criminal Procedure Act, (Act No 51 of 1997).”

- “For Bedfordview, training of detectives on drug related cases by the Department of Justice have been implemented and some cases will be placed back on the court roll once forensic results are received.”

While these replies do suggest some sort of action being taken, it in no way communicates a clear-cut plan on fighting the drug-related issues crippling our communities.

Assigning two police officers in Boksburg North SAPS to investigate over 700 cases of drug-related crimes in the precinct is simply not good enough and while in his replies he does mention that Edenvale SAPS is in contact with a specialist drug unit, this is in no way the equivalent of the specialised narcotics unit that was scrapped by the ANC. It is in fact a drug task team situated at cluster level which the SAPS informally refer to as "drug units", but they're temporary task teams and not stand alone specialized units.

The DA has consistently been calling for the reintroduction of specialist drug and gang units, after they were shut down by SAPS. In the City of Cape Town, we have successfully introduced our own drug units which have been successful in busting dealers and stopping drug-supply chains. 

Furthermore, during his SONA speech in February 2016, President Zuma stated that these units will be reintroduced. However, to date no such initiative have been taken. 

 The DA believes that everyone has the right to a safe and healthy living environment, and will continue to fight for the safety of our communities to be prioritized under the current uncaring ANC administration.

Issued by Michael Walters, DA Deputy Chief Whip in Parliament, MP for Lethabong Constituency, 10 October 2016