SA FACE POLICING CRISIS

SAPS is facing a serious crisis with 1.9 million case dockets and detectives sitting with 300 to 500 dockets each.

On top of it is a growing concern about the experience of detectives with more younger police officers absorbed into the detective services.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, described the current backlog as untenable. Only 15.1% of SAPS members are currently deployed in detective roles – far below the 20% target – a figure revealed in a November 2024 police briefing.

With crime rates soaring, the number of trained detectives has almost halved since 2016, just when serious and violent crimes began to spike. At that time the number of detectives dwindled to 40%.

Ian Cameron, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, said the task facing cops is “impossible”.

Of the 500 dockets to a detective, he says: “It’s physically impossible. They’re expected to investigate, update dockets weekly, go to court, work with prosecutors, and attend post-mortems – no one can manage that workload.”

Cameron said Limpopo and the Northern Cape had the highest shortages of detectives, with a reported 38% shortage. This is followed by the Western Cape and Free State at 35.5% and 33%, respectively.

He said the lack of mentoring is also a concern.

He adds: “New detectives are thrown in the deep end, especially in stations like Delft or Manenberg. There’s no time for proper training. It’s a nightmare.”