The successful track record of the soon to be disbanded Scorpions was confirmed in the 2009 budget tabled by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday.
According to the Estimates of National Expenditure, the elite crime-fighting unit scored a 94% conviction rate on 182 cases brought to court in 2007.
In the first half of last year, the Scorpions — officially the Directorate of Special Operations — initiated 39 new investigations, finalised 53 major investigations, and prosecuted 28 cases, with a conviction rate of 87%.
It arrested 71 suspects, seized contraband to the value of R6,6-million and compensated crime victims to the tune of R6,8-million, the document says.
The Scorpions are about to be dissolved under legislation signed by President Kgalema Motlanthe this year, amid protest from the opposition that the unit is being punished for investigating top officials, including police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
Meanwhile the fight against crime will be bolstered by R5,4-billion, Manuel told the National Assembly.
The Budget Review makes the point that poor integration between the constituent parts of the justice system, inadequate forensic and investigative capacity, and insufficient use of technology are key problems facing the criminal justice sector.
”R3-billion will be spent on restructuring criminal justice services over the medium term,” the review says. ”These funds provide for expanding the criminal DNA database, accelerating the rollout of national fingerprint and case management systems, and upgrading IT networks.”
The increased police numbers will be focussed on boosting detective and forensic capacity. The department also receives funds for the policing of the 2009 elections and the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development will receive an additional R525-million over the period for pay increases for lawyers, or as the Budget Review says: ”the implementation of an occupation-specific dispensation for legally qualified professionals”.
This additional funding will also enable the department to hire 250 more court clerks and 50 more family advocates. For the implementation of the Child Justice Bill and legislation dealing with sexual offences, R150-million has been allocated over the medium-term expenditure framework period.
Four new prisons are to be built through public/private partnerships in Paarl, East London, Klerksdorp and Polokwane.
”These facilities will provide capacity for 12Â 000 inmates, reducing prison overcrowding,” the review says. ”Another R900-million is allocated to the Department of Correctional Services to enable the department to change its shift system to reduce the amount of overtime worked.”
Prisons spending detailed
The cost of building the four new prisons will see correctional services spending rise sharply over the next three years, according to budget.
There will be a 26,8% growth in spending between 2010/11 and 2011/12, rising to nearly R18,1-billion to foot the bill for the new structures.
Another new prison in Kimberley, with space for 3Â 000 inmates, is due to be completed later this year.
In total, the five new facilities will be able to house an extra 12Â 765 prisoners by 2012.
According to correctional services, this will cut overcrowding in South Africa’s jails from 42% to 28%.
The department also forecasts the number of prison escapes and assaults will decline in coming years, as more money is spent on safety structures and rehabilitation programmes.
Currently, there are 92 assaults a year for every 10Â 000 inmates, while five out of the same total escape from prison annually. The department hopes the figures will fall to 68 assaults and four escapes per 10Â 000 prisoners by 2012.
According to the budget, the number of prisoners receiving antiretroviral treatment is set to increase by 600 a year, from a current 4Â 180 to 6Â 300 in 2012.
More cops by 2012
The government plans to put another 21Â 600 police officers on the beat over the next three years in a bid to slash violent crime, according to Manuel.
The police force will grow from 183Â 000 to over 204Â 000 by the end of March 2012, and will be equipped with more vehicles and better technology, and backed up by extra reservists.
”The increased allocations for police officers will provide for the recruitment of 35Â 180 new personnel over the medium-term expenditure framework, of which 21Â 680 are in addition to the replacements needed because of staff turnover,” it says.
Government plans to reduce violent crime-including crimes against women and children — by between 7% and 10% a year.
Along with violent crime, the key priority will be to reduce the rate of so-called property crimes-theft, robbery and hijackings.
The document says the safety and security services came close to this target in 2007, by reducing common robbery, rape, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances by more than 7%.
But it concedes that car theft was up 10,8%, while robbery at both homes and business premises, as well as hijackings, rocketed by more than 26% in the same period.
Total state spending on security will reach R46-billion in the current year, and R55-billion in 2011/12.
Overall, the rate of increase in security spending will fall to an average 9,9% for the next three years, compared to 12,2% over the past three years.
Court backlogs in spending spotlight
Justice spending is to be increased in a concerted bid to reduce the backlog of cases on court rolls, according to the 2009 budget.
It says that by 2012, the justice department’s budget will have risen by an average 13,2% annually since 2005.
This includes a 10% increase for court services, 8% for state legal services and 9,5% for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The aim is to reduce the backlog in regional courts by between 25% and 30% a year, with the help of 37 courts dedicated especially to this task.
According to the Estimates of National Expenditure, these backlog courts managed to finalise 84% of the roughly 8Â 000 cases referred to them between late 2006 and late last year.
The document notes the backlog affected even the highest courts in the land.
The Constitutional Court in 2007 managed to finalise only 65% of the 97 cases on its roll, missing its target by 20%.
The Supreme Court of Appeals fared a little better.
It received 597 applications for leave to appeal and finalised 455 cases — a rate of 76,2%.
The government’s strategy to tackle the backlog include plans to increasingly give the option of a fine to criminals who admit guilt, including in theft and assault cases.
The justice department’s budget also includes a recruitment drive to help strengthen court capacity, with plans to employ more experienced prosecutors at the NPA. — Sapa, I-Net Bridge