SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

1
SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

• Presentation to
• Joint Monitoring Committee on Improvement of
  Quality of Life and Status of Women

2
Introduction

• Programmes to address violence against women
• Preventative
• Reactive
• Linking the Domestic Violence Act with
  maintenance issues
• Budget for women

3
Violence against women

• Cycle of disempowerment that includes poverty,
  discrimination, violence and abuse
• Role of women in shaping society - womens issues
  are societys issues
• Massive impact of seeing women as victims -
  creates its own cycle of disempowerment
• Through internal programmes and external services
  the SAPS can help to break this cycle of
  disempowerment

4
Key commitments of SAPS

• Implementation of the Domestic Violence Act
• Victim empowerment, service and facilities
• Training in gender sensitivity and protocols to
  deal with sexual violence
• The transformation of the SAPS through gender
  policies
• Intersectoral programmes in support of crime
  prevention interventions
• Specialised capacity in Family Violence, Child
  Protection and Sexual Offences units to
  investigate crimes against women and children.

5
Domestic Violence

• Implementation of the Domestic Violence Act (DVA)
  dependent on the SAPS
• Take domestic abuse out of the privacy that
  protects the offender
• Minister has challenged all SAPS members to
  become role models
• Part of interdepartmental Domestic Violence
  programme

6
Implementation of the DVA (1)

• Implemented end 1999 All SAPS members trained
  prior to implementation
• Total members trained 21098 (from 1999 to date)
• Extensive and ongoing training in 2001 - new
  training programme developed on interdepartmental
  basis, submitted for accreditation
• Funding allocated nationally for training
  (2001/2001 - R100 000 per province)

7
Implementation of the DVA (2)

• Problem solving approach in training, also focus
  on integration of services
• Monitoring and evaluation Report to Parliament
  twice a year
• Reports from ICD and NGOs informs programme in
  SAPS eg for ongoing training and co-operation
  with other departments and communities
• Interdepartmental monitoring programme

8
Implementation of the DVA (3)

• Protocols and guidelines for integrated service
  delivery
• Social Development - Shelters, victim support
• Justice - Protection orders
• Co-operation with communities and private sector
  - victims support, safe houses, awareness
• Internal communication in SAPS and other
  departments
• Public awareness

9
Rape and Sexual Offences (1)

• Reactive Investigation and victim
• Complemented by VEP for all functional members
• Interdepartmental process to develop strategy to
  address rape - preventative and reactive. First
  project underway
• Premise that not all rapes are the same -
  prevention must be informed by offender and
  victim analysis
• Supported by public awareness and communication

10
Rape and Sexual Offences (2)

• Specialised units and specialised individuals at
  stations (FCS and CPUs)
• Specialised training for investigators, eg FCS
  sexual offences techniques, national instruction
  on sexual offences
• Crime Scene management
• Gender sensitivity training
• Inclusion of investigation of sexual offences and
  victim empowerment in basic training and in
  training for all detectives

11
Victim Empowerment (1)

• Training Programme aimed at basic levels of
  service delivery, treating victims with respect
  and dignity, entrench their rights to receive and
  offer information
• 1388 members trained so far in 2001 (total
  numbers of members trained 21000)
• Improved facilities at stations

12
Victim Empowerment (2)

• Community based victim support initiatives
• Public Awareness and internal communication
• Limitation of secondary victimisation
• Empowerment of Victim as witness
• Allocation 2001/2001 R2 million

13
Prevention of firearm related violence

• Firearms Control Act can play a role in reducing
  violence against women
• We need women to support this Act
• Gun violence threatens and oppresses women,
  children and young men
• Implementation of Firearm-free zones to create
  safe public spaces
• Lethal combination of alcohol and firearms Can
  FFZs assist
• Mobilise women to support and maintain

14
Poverty and crime

• Presidents speech 1999 - connection between
  poverty and crime
• Poverty Hearings of 1998 we learned that over 50
  of women in South Africa today are oppressed by
  poverty
• Presidential priorities include poverty
  alleviation, job creation, human resource
  development, rural development, urban renewal,
  crime prevention, combating HIV/Aids
• These programmes can contribute to break the
  cycles of violence contribute to disempowerment
  of women

15
Priority station areas for Violence against women
and children

• NCCF direction Identified 20 police station -
  highest levels of crime against women and
  children
• Developing proactive local programmes aimed at
  reducing the levels of violent crime against
  women and children - programmes in 3 provinces
  approved
• Reduction programmes to protect women and
  children from violence - aimed at factors that
  contribute to violence like alcohol and firearms
• Local level community mobilisation and awareness

16
Youth Programme (1)

• Youth programme aimed at
• Reducing risk factors to offending behaviour
• Strengthening resilience factors to victimization
  and offending
• Criminal Justice
• Children Awaiting Trial
• Child Justice Bill
• Allocation SAPS R1 million , Donors R 2.3 million

17
Youth Programme (2)

• Schools Based Programmes
• Partnership with Department of Education Safer
  Schools workbook, support for local schools-based
  programmes
• Captain Crime Stop
• Adopt- A - Cop
• Implementation of Firearm-free zones in schools
• Awareness programmes to address risk factors like
  alcohol and drugs