“The total national backlog stood at 10,609 case exhibits during the 2018/19 financial year. A considerable increase in backlogs was seen in the following financial years, with a total backlog in forensic cases standing at 300,722 in 2020/21. The data for 2021/22 that shows a backlog of 308,186 reflects a (2.4%) increase in backlogs from the previous financial year,” he said.
“Challenges in the processing and analysis of case exhibits lead to delays in the dispensation of justice and result in various negative impacts, such as delays in cases going to trial (remand cases), possible repeat offending by perpetrators and/or innocent people being unduly detained for lengthy periods.
“With the scourge in GBV-related crimes in the country, especially since Covid-19, delays in the processing and analysis of case exhibits allowing possible repeat offences leading to a failure in the fight against these crimes cannot be tolerated.”
Gxoyiya said the commission had visited the various labs around the country to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of these labs, observe the state of facilities and conditions, determine the reasons for the backlogs and establish the measures put in place to speed up cases.
The commissioner was unable to provide a detailed breakdown on the province with the worst backlog in the past financial year or the most improved, saying this would be shared at a later stage.
Some of the recommendations made included the declaration of the KZN FSL as a national key point “to ensure that the condition of the accommodation receives the required attention, that being expediting the relocation project”.
Additional proposals were made to address staffing challenges, procurement and reporting on backlogs.
Swelling backlogs at SAPS forensic labs worry Public Service Commission
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is concerned about the impact backlogs in the police's forensic laboratories have on tackling criminal cases, particularly gender-based violence (GBV), as the figure jumped from about 10,000 in the 2018/19 financial year to 308,000 in 2021/22.
The PSC revealed this during the release of the quarterly pulse of the public service bulletin giving an overview of its work between January and March 2023. This covers the fourth quarter of the 2022/23 financial year.
The bulletin focused on a number of matters, including:
Presenting the report was PSC commissioner Anele Gxoyiya, who gave an overview of the increasing backlogs and their impact on solving crimes.
“The total national backlog stood at 10,609 case exhibits during the 2018/19 financial year. A considerable increase in backlogs was seen in the following financial years, with a total backlog in forensic cases standing at 300,722 in 2020/21. The data for 2021/22 that shows a backlog of 308,186 reflects a (2.4%) increase in backlogs from the previous financial year,” he said.
“Challenges in the processing and analysis of case exhibits lead to delays in the dispensation of justice and result in various negative impacts, such as delays in cases going to trial (remand cases), possible repeat offending by perpetrators and/or innocent people being unduly detained for lengthy periods.
“With the scourge in GBV-related crimes in the country, especially since Covid-19, delays in the processing and analysis of case exhibits allowing possible repeat offences leading to a failure in the fight against these crimes cannot be tolerated.”
Gxoyiya said the commission had visited the various labs around the country to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of these labs, observe the state of facilities and conditions, determine the reasons for the backlogs and establish the measures put in place to speed up cases.
The commissioner was unable to provide a detailed breakdown on the province with the worst backlog in the past financial year or the most improved, saying this would be shared at a later stage.
Some of the recommendations made included the declaration of the KZN FSL as a national key point “to ensure that the condition of the accommodation receives the required attention, that being expediting the relocation project”.
Additional proposals were made to address staffing challenges, procurement and reporting on backlogs.
“SAPS should explore the revision of its communication strategy to include proactive media briefings to educate and create awareness of the work and services of the FSL,” Gxoyiya said.
He revealed that the PSC had registered 591 grievances over the past three months, 150 of which were carried over from the previous financial year.
Of these, 436 were properly referred, while 155 were not. Of the former figure, 95% were reported by employees and the rest by executive authorities. The Western Cape reported the highest figure of properly referred cases, 53, followed by Gauteng and Limpopo. Mpumalanga registered the lowest number, 0.
“While 326 (75%) of the 436 appropriately referred cases were concluded by the end of March 2023, 110 (25%) remained pending. Of the 326 concluded cases, 132 (88%) form part of the 150 grievances carried over from the 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years.
“Delays in the finalisation of cases can be attributed to, among others, the lack of information from departments and aggrieved employees.”
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