Police intel in a shambles -- and it shows

A spike in organised crime can almost certainly be attributed to the paralysis of the police's embattled crime intelligence unit.

Figures released by Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa and national commissioner General Riah Phiyega show how crimes usually committed by syndicates have increased since April last year. They show that:

• Truck hijackings shot up by 14.9% and drug-related crimes rose by 13.5%;

Aggravated robberies increased by 1.2%; and

• Residential burglaries rose by 3.3% and car hijackings by 5.4%.

Experts who commented on the crime statistics agreed that the increases in truck hijacking, drug-related crimes and aggravated robberies were a worrying trend.

Gareth Newham, head of the governance, crime and justice division at the Institute for Security Studies, said: "The problems at crime intelligence are probably the single biggest reason organised crime is on the up."

Syndicates, he said, would always try to buy favour in these units. They offer cash in return for the unit looking the other way and the information other units need to make arrests never filter through.

"It is a good time to be running a syndicate ... I'm still surprised we have seen so little leadership to address the problems facing this unit," said Newham.

Phiyega said she would now personally take charge of the unit - tasked with collecting and disseminating information to combat crime - that has been dogged by controversy over the past two years.

Its head, Lieutenant-General Richard Mdluli, has been suspended over allegations that he abused secret funds and two other senior members are facing charges in court for allegedly defrauding the police.

Questions have also been raised over the police's vetting system after it emerged that a convicted criminal was appointed to the unit.

Policing expert Johan Burger from the Institute for Security Studies said: "The police crime intelligence unit is dysfunctional and the result of the shambles is there for anyone to see. You don't combat these syndicates with no intelligence."

Burger and Newham said crime intelligence units worked according to "projects" in a number of criminal areas they tried to infiltrate - but it now appeared that, with no real leadership, the unit had almost ground to a halt.

The unit has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past two years, including:

• Allegations of murder and the abuse of police funds against Mdluli, which were later withdrawn;

• The arrest of the unit's chief financial officer, Major-General Solly Lazarus, and head of logistics, Colonel Hein Barnard, for stealing R370000. They are awaiting trial;

• Reports of factionalism and mistrust in the unit because officers suspect others of spying on them;

• A Labour Court case in which a top cop at the unit, Colonel Johan Roos, has accused his superiors of ignoring damning evidence against its members; and

• Charges of armed robbery faced by Captain Morris "KGB" Tshabalala and revelations that he never served a prison sentence for a previous conviction before his employment in the unit.

"I have spoken to several officers in the division and what they are telling us is worrying," said Burger. "It points to a unit that should be at the centre of any crime-fighting initiative, but instead it focuses on its own internal battles and meddles in the political arena."

Mdluli shot to prominence when it emerged that he wrote to President Jacob Zuma in November 2011 warning of a plot to remove both of them.

One of the few positives to emerge from the statistics was the 18% decrease in ATM bombings. But, experts said, this could be attributed to banks beefing up security.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale said: "All the crime categories require crime-intelligence support. We have indicated many times that we are attending to the challenges of crime intelligence and are repositioning it so that it delivers optimally."

swartw@sundaytimes.co.za