So many Questions: Annelize van Wyk

The annual report of the SA Police Service has highlighted the issue of police maladministration. Chris Barron asked ANC MP and acting chairwoman of parliament's police portfolio committee, Annelize van Wyk ...

How bad is the situation? I don't think it is that bad. I don't think one must create an impression that there is a crisis.

You described it earlier in the week as a "shambles", didn't you? I didn't describe the whole situation as a shambles. There might have been a specific incident I described as a shambles.

According to the report there are thousands of police who haven't passed firearm competency tests, multiple law suits, et cetera. You're familiar with the list? Yes.

How much worse does it have to get before we call it a crisis, or even a shambles? I know space is limited but I'm not going to answer in such a way that I'm not giving you the facts . ..

What aspects of the current situation do you find most alarming? We are concerned about the implementation of legislation that has been passed and that empowers the police but which they're not using.

Such as? Specifically, visible policing. This became a big crime-fighting policy in 2000 but has still not been fully implemented.

Why not? The reason they give is a shortage of staff. But the fact is that since sector policing became the crime-fighting strategy of the SAPS, 80000 more police officers have been employed. So that is no excuse.

What's the problem - incompetent management? We've said for many years that we believe management at all levels at the SAPS can be improved. That's our biggest challenge.

What can your committee do about it? We can highlight the issues, bring them to the attention of the executive.

It doesn't seem to have helped, does it? I think one must look at where there have been improvements as well.

Give me an example? The detective environment. There's been an improvement in numbers and training of detectives.

How do you measure that? There's been a downward trend in backlogs, and conviction rates are increasing.

Meanwhile the number of cases against the police themselves for rape and assault continues to climb. How do you explain that? I can't explain that. We have redesigned the old Independent Complaints Directorate and given them powers to investigate exactly those issues. What we now need to see is performance from them. This is not only about how the police perform, it's about how the organisations with civilian oversight over them perform.

Your committee sits right at the top of these, doesn't it? Absolutely. That's why we're being much stronger on them, to say, "What are you guys doing? What are the issues?"

Isn't the fundamental issue inappropriate appointments? That's very difficult to answer.

Politically sensitive? No, not at all. The minister's on record saying that recruitment within the SAPS needs to improve, and recruitment criteria need to improve.

Too many appointments for the wrong reasons? No, that's not the point. The point is if you look at who is committing these wrongdoings in the SAPS it's mainly your ordinary police officer.

It's about discipline, isn't it? Exactly.

Isn't this a leadership issue? No. You want me to say it's because of commissioners that get appointed, and that's not the point.

Surely the point is a lack of professional leadership? I wouldn't agree. What we believe is that where there is wrongdoing there must be consequences. That means discipline at the point where it happens.

Are you seeing consequences in the force? "Service." I feel strongly about the use of the word "service" because I think it is important that South Africans insist on using the word "service".

Can you blame us for being confused? The constitution is clear that we talk about the SA Police Service.