Police minister Senzo Mchunu has six crimes in his crosshairs, and to combat these he is prioritising better adoption of technology and expansion of the forensic services to assist officers.
Strengthening crime intelligence and the capacitation and upskilling of detectives are also on his wish list, he told a ministerial business partnership dinner in Kempton Park on Monday night on the eve of a three-day policing summit.
Mchunu said to radically reduce the murder rate, the country needs to decisively deal with the proliferation of illegal firearms. Guns are used in more than four out of every 10 murders.
"We arey attending to our central firearms registry. There is visible progress there and this is a continuing process," he said.
Another crime he is flagging for focused attention is violence against women and children, saying as "the most vulnerable in our society" they need protection.
Drug trafficking, transnational syndicates, kidnappings, extortion and stock theft are also on his radar.
"We are acutely aware that unabated violent crimes, organised crimes and corruption pose an existential threat to our democracy and democratic institutions and are detrimental to economic growth.
"We plan to move towards automating police stations, and this will kick off with five stations as part of the pilot project before a national rollout.
"One of our persistent challenges, the management of dockets, is being tackled head-on. We are working on secure, advanced, and digitised systems for docket storage and tracking.
"Our forensic laboratories have lagged behind, and we acknowledge the reputational damage this has caused. But we are not standing still. While we as the police service have plans in place to increase the number of laboratories to ensure the timeous processing of DNA and other tests, business has committed to coming on board to furnish laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment, increase their number and explore the establishment of e-labs."
Mchunu said a joint police and business stakeholder forum is tasked with ensuring the work is completed.
TimesLIVE
Faster forensics and digital docket management on Senzo Mchunu’s wish list for police
Image: X/@SAPoliceService/ File photo
Police minister Senzo Mchunu has six crimes in his crosshairs, and to combat these he is prioritising better adoption of technology and expansion of the forensic services to assist officers.
Strengthening crime intelligence and the capacitation and upskilling of detectives are also on his wish list, he told a ministerial business partnership dinner in Kempton Park on Monday night on the eve of a three-day policing summit.
Mchunu said to radically reduce the murder rate, the country needs to decisively deal with the proliferation of illegal firearms. Guns are used in more than four out of every 10 murders.
"We arey attending to our central firearms registry. There is visible progress there and this is a continuing process," he said.
Another crime he is flagging for focused attention is violence against women and children, saying as "the most vulnerable in our society" they need protection.
Drug trafficking, transnational syndicates, kidnappings, extortion and stock theft are also on his radar.
"We are acutely aware that unabated violent crimes, organised crimes and corruption pose an existential threat to our democracy and democratic institutions and are detrimental to economic growth.
"We plan to move towards automating police stations, and this will kick off with five stations as part of the pilot project before a national rollout.
"One of our persistent challenges, the management of dockets, is being tackled head-on. We are working on secure, advanced, and digitised systems for docket storage and tracking.
"Our forensic laboratories have lagged behind, and we acknowledge the reputational damage this has caused. But we are not standing still. While we as the police service have plans in place to increase the number of laboratories to ensure the timeous processing of DNA and other tests, business has committed to coming on board to furnish laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment, increase their number and explore the establishment of e-labs."
Mchunu said a joint police and business stakeholder forum is tasked with ensuring the work is completed.
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
Q&A with Gareth Newham from the Institute for Security Studies
Joburg’s forensic pathologists work amid squalor, horrific odours and squatters in adjacent derelict buildings
The burden of gun violence on SA’s health system
WOMEN'S DAY | Meet Joburg morgue's all-women team: 'It's not glamorous like you see on TV'
SA’s toxic nightmare: Major backlogs in toxicology reports leave families in limbo
Q&A with police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe on Operation Shanela
‘Law enforcement needs to come to the party’
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
News and promos in your inbox
subscribeMost read
Latest Videos