The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa's comments regarding the possible reintroduction of specialised units in the South African Police Service (SAPS). Minister Mthethwa's comments, that "we need to consider the re-introduction of some of the specialised units, such as the child protection unit and the sexual offences unit", correctly recognise the need for specialised units as a critical way of tackling crime in South Africa. However, words must be followed by actions, and this was not the case when the Minister made similar remarks last December. We hope this time round to see substantive proposals from the Ministry.
The disbandment of specialised units in recent years runs contrary both to common sense and international best practice. Studies confirm the disastrous effects the disbandment of these units have had on crime in South Africa - and particularly in terms of assisting victims and using specialised skills in detective work. For instance, a recent RAPCAN study found that the policy objectives to prioritise crime against women and children cannot be realised as a result of the dismantling of the specialised Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Offences (FCS) units. Similarly, an Institute for Security Studies (ISS) study on the impact of the restructuring of the FCS units confirms that the quality of service provided has weakened and that South Africa is now out of step with developments in comparable countries.
The DA has repeatedly called for the reinstatement of the SAPS specialised units since they were first disbanded by Jackie Selebi. When we conducted a survey in 2007 to demonstrate the failure of the "integration" of these units into mainstream Police Service, a SAPS spokesperson criticised us on ridiculous grounds, and it is thus most pleasing that there has been an about-turn in official policy to actually recognise the importance of specialised units.
The reality is that the decision to disband specialised units has let South Africans down - particularly the victims of crime. We need these units back right away.
Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of police, July 2 2009
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
