An earlier post on this blog, regarding SA Army engineers involved in the building of bridges in poor communities in the Eastern Cape for civilian use, set me off thinking of another perhaps unrelated idea. The idea is simple, it involves some form of co-operation between the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and the SA Police Services
(SAPS). South Africa is a country that is not at war, certainly not with any of its neighbours, it is therefore not surprising that the well-trained men and women of the SANDF find themselves with little to do. My guess is that, currently the SANDF is largely involved in patrolling our borders, in intelligence gathering as well as in counter intelligence initiatives. Such activities leave the SANDF with plenty of resource capacity, the kind of capacity which makes it possible for the Army engineers to embark on the building of much needed bridges for civilian use. Indeed, it is my hope that the SANDF extends its services to more civilians across our country.
(SAPS). South Africa is a country that is not at war, certainly not with any of its neighbours, it is therefore not surprising that the well-trained men and women of the SANDF find themselves with little to do. My guess is that, currently the SANDF is largely involved in patrolling our borders, in intelligence gathering as well as in counter intelligence initiatives. Such activities leave the SANDF with plenty of resource capacity, the kind of capacity which makes it possible for the Army engineers to embark on the building of much needed bridges for civilian use. Indeed, it is my hope that the SANDF extends its services to more civilians across our country.A challenged SAPS
On the other hand, the SAPS is under a huge strain as a result of the war it is waging against rampant crime
. According to nationmaster (a statistics gathering organization) South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, only behind countries such as India, Russia and Colombia but ahead of Mexico, a country which has been in the news lately for some violent drug related deaths. The global average of police personnel per 1000 members of a population is 3 and South Africa is not that far behind with 2.7 police personnel per 1000 members of the population. While this number in itself is encouraging, a recent study commissioned by head of the SAPS, General Bheki Cele, indicates that our police stations are in a real mess with station commanders who do not have the requisite skills to run such institutions. Chief among the areas where the police stations seem to be performing poorly is case investigations. How many times have we read of missing dockets at police stations, and as we know, without a docket the case may as well not exist. No doubt therefore that the SAPS is seriously challenged and in need of a major overhaul.
. According to nationmaster (a statistics gathering organization) South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, only behind countries such as India, Russia and Colombia but ahead of Mexico, a country which has been in the news lately for some violent drug related deaths. The global average of police personnel per 1000 members of a population is 3 and South Africa is not that far behind with 2.7 police personnel per 1000 members of the population. While this number in itself is encouraging, a recent study commissioned by head of the SAPS, General Bheki Cele, indicates that our police stations are in a real mess with station commanders who do not have the requisite skills to run such institutions. Chief among the areas where the police stations seem to be performing poorly is case investigations. How many times have we read of missing dockets at police stations, and as we know, without a docket the case may as well not exist. No doubt therefore that the SAPS is seriously challenged and in need of a major overhaul.Proactive co-operation to enhance skills
The military is by its nature a highly organized entity with lots of resources available to it, be they financial, human or infrastructural and during peace time, as is the case right now, these resources largely lie idle. An opportunity exists therefore for a proactive co-operation effort between the SANDF and the SAPS through their relevant ministries. The main aim of this co-operation would be two fold a) to use the skills and expertise available within the SANDF to enhance skills and expertise within the SAPS and b) to help keep the SANDF personnel active and their skills sharpened. No other organization could be better positioned to help resolve the crisis in our policing system than the SANDF. In my mind, co-operation between the SANDF and the SAPS is long overdue and the two Ministers responsible for policing and defence (Nathi Mthethwa and Lindiwe Sisulu, respectively) would be doing the nation a great injustice if they are not already engaged in such discussions.
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