Community Safety Annual Report 2011-2012 - Gauteng Online

Whilst the Constitution provides for the right to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and present petitions, theDepartment has, in its interactions with the various conveners of the demonstrations and protest marches, placedemphasis on the legal requirement that those who participate in the demonstrations or protest marches shouldbe ‘peaceful and unarmed’. The law enforcement agencies in the province, led by the SAPS as the principallaw enforcement agency, have been able, and will continue, to cooperate and to collaborate in their collectiveefforts aimed at ensuring that the public demonstrations and protest marches are peaceful.Public perceptions of crime and safety in the provinceIt is generally accepted that different people and communities will experience crime differently. Whilst theDepartment is aware that certain crime categories in the province have shown impressive downward trends,which led to the province occupying position one in terms of police performance nationally, it is important torefer to independent research on the matter. The Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) 2011, which was conductedby Statistics South Africa, indicates that perceptions about crime and safety differed according to factors suchas employment status, population group and area of residence. According to VOCS 2011, whilst about twothirds(65%) of households in Gauteng indicated that they took physical protection measures to protect theirhomes, 66% of those surveyed stated that the most effective way to dealing with crime would be to address thecontributory socio-economic factors.Of particular importance to the Department was the finding that 60% of the people surveyed were satisfied withhow the police and the courts did their work. In addition, VOCS 2011 found that about 80% of householdswho were satisfied with the police in their areas also felt that the police were committed. It is encouraging tonote from the survey that seven-tenth (70.8%) of households are of the view that the police are trustworthy. TheDepartment will continue to encourage the police to address their internal challenges whilst periodically sharingtheir successes with communities.Reduction in road accidents and fatalitiesThe reduction in the number of road accidents and fatalities has remained an area of strategic focus for theDepartment during the reporting period. Gauteng is among the highest contributors to the number of accidentsand fatalities each year. This is hardly surprising given the fact that the province has the highest number ofvehicles compared to any other province in the country. The promotion of road safety, with particular emphasison responsible road usage, will remain the Department’s central theme in this regard. Given the fact that morethan 40% of all road accident fatalities comprise pedestrians each year, the Department’s road safety messageswill primarily target this category of road users.2.1.5 Overview of the organisational environmentWhilst there have been areas of natural contestation between the Department and organised labour during thereporting period, relations have, overall, been cordial. The organisational structure of the Department is expectedto change, largely owing to the new responsibilities brought about by enactment of the Civilian Secretariat forPolice Service Act, 2011 (Act No. 2 of 2011) and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act, 2011(Act No. 1 of 2011). The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Act places an obligation on the MEC toestablish a Provincial Secretariat for Police. The MEC is further obliged and bound by law to appoint the Headof the Provincial Secretariat in consultation with the Minister of Police within a period of 18 months following thecommencement of the Act. Given that the commencement date of the Act is December 1, 2011, the ProvincialSecretariat for Police is expected to have been constituted not later than June 30, 2013.In addition, the Department is given the responsibility to monitor and to report on compliance by the SAPS withthe Domestic Violence Act, 1998 (Act No. 116 of 1998). This was initially the responsibility of the IndependentComplaints Directorate (ICD), which will become the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) witheffect from April 1, 2012. An additional responsibility given to the Department by the new IPID Act relates tothe monitoring of the implementation of the recommendations made by the IPID to police management. Theserecommendations would relate to the matters the IPID will have investigated in keeping with the dictates ofsection 28 of the IPID Act. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the new responsibilities will require that thenecessary competencies be created and resources, both human and material, be acquired to ensure that theDepartment fully executes its legislative mandate.Information on Predetermined Objectives • Annual Report 2011/12 |19