The South African Police Service on Wednesday was unable to inform parliament’s portfolio committee on police precisely what number of of its officers weren’t competent to hold firearms. (RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
The South African Police Service (SAPS) on Wednesday was unable to inform parliament’s portfolio committee on police precisely what number of of its officers weren’t competent to hold firearms, however stated it was assured that new know-how would enhance the crime-fighting panorama within the nation.
The police service is creating a brand new Firearm Management Administration System to switch its issue-laden Enhanced Firearm Registry System.
One of many key options of the brand new system is the power for people to use and pay for firearm licences on-line, in addition to for licensed firearm sellers to submit their returns electronically. Customers can even have a profile the place they’ll monitor the progress of their functions.
The present and new system will run concurrently till full migration has taken place.
The brand new Firearm Management Administration System is deliberate to be totally operational by the tip of March 2026, and was one of many many updates police introduced to the committee on Wednesday, together with how know-how was and will improve policing.
However when requested by Democratic Alliance committee member Dianne Kohler Barnard — twice — what number of officers didn’t have firearm competency certificates or had failed their firearm assessments, not one of the senior police representatives current was capable of reply. A response can be “submitted in writing” as soon as it was pulled from “the system”, they stated.
In 2015, Kohler Barnard induced a stir when she stated that as many as 40 000 police members didn’t have competency certificates, or had failed their competency assessments.
Lieutenant Basic Edith Nonkululeko Mavundla, the SAPS divisional commissioner for know-how administration companies, made the presentation on the brand new applied sciences to the committee, however made no point out of budgets or particular prices for plans that included superior crime-fighting tech similar to physique and dashboard cameras, and synthetic intelligence-driven methods.
Mavundla did, nonetheless, say that though the police service’s present info and communication know-how was “sufficient and maintained” it might require “progressive enlargement and improve to accommodate know-how evolution and its inevitable calls for”.
“We’re upgrading our know-how infrastructure, and sure, we’re behind with the upgrades due to the austerities of funding, however in the mean time we’re capable of run on that specific infrastructure,” she stated.
She stated that SAPS was engaged on a trial programme involving 41 body-worn cameras, and the police had been evaluating varied bodycam options from suppliers.
This was being performed as a “proof of idea” to assist SAPS decide the specs and necessities for a broader body-worn digital camera deployment throughout the police service.
She stated remotely piloted plane had been getting used for aerial surveillance throughout massive occasions and in rescue operations. Drones helped cut back the dangers to officers by permitting them to cowl harmful or inaccessible areas, she stated, but additionally acknowledged that there have been difficulties in retaining expert personnel similar to drone pilots.
Financial Freedom Fighters committee member Molebogeng Letlape requested what provision had been made for using improved know-how in rural areas, on condition that many police stations there regularly had issues with telephones and indicators, and had restricted entry to or no automobiles.
Mavundla stated rural areas had been “not enabled with the infrastructure that’s related to have the ability to run the brand new applied sciences”.
“Within the rural areas, it’s possible you’ll not have the ability to even discover any telecommunication entity that’s in that specific space, as a result of that space doesn’t carry enterprise to the telecommunication suppliers,” she stated.
Rural areas nonetheless wanted to be policed, Mavundla stated, however with “related applied sciences” similar to analogue, which was “nonetheless being maintained … and upgraded in rural areas”.
Kohler Barnard raised considerations about historic issues with the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), and the shortage of fingerprint capability at myriad police stations.
Mavundla stated AFIS was used to confirm particular person identities, test for prior convictions and decide the needed standing of individuals in real-time throughout operations, however didn’t say whether or not the issues skilled with AFIS had been totally resolved.
ActionSA committee member Dareleen James requested whether or not any police station within the nation the place the present applied sciences and methods spoken of by Mavundla had been totally operational.
When Mavundla answered, James accused her of obfuscation. After this, Mavundla stated “Johannesburg Central”.
As for facial recognition know-how, Mavundla stated agreements between the police service and the personal sector, together with personal safety firms with huge digital camera networks already in place, would guarantee police might use know-how that was “already on the market”, to keep away from duplication.
The purpose was to leverage present infrastructure and databases to boost the police’s capacity to establish and observe people of curiosity, significantly at border areas similar to airports.