Mchunu outlines plan to tackle 1.9 million backlog in dockets

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has acknowledged the staggering backlog of 1.9 million case dockets within the South African Police Service, describing the situation as "abnormal".

Mchunu said it would take two years to wipe out the backlog amid the SAPS moves to seek funds from the private sector to hire contract employees, such as retired detectives.

“We note the under capacity as we speak and therefore we are to ensure the 4,500 new intakes as a starting point,” he said.

Mchunu was responding to MK Party MP David Skosana during the oral question session in the National Assembly on Wednesday on measures taken to fill the detective vacancies and steps the SAPS has taken to resolve the backlog of unresolved cases.

“There are 1,9 million dockets that are outstanding, there is no way to treat them as a normal situation,” he said.

Mchunu also said his ministry does not have the money and was looking for resources to deal with the backlog.

“We hope that this ongoing recruitment, including bringing back former detectives and preventing them from leaving the service, will deal with the backlog.”

While Mchunu said he has not paid attention to the high vacancy rate in the detective services, he said there were issues of attrition, officers leaving the service and remuneration issues.

He said the SAPS will hold a summit in April to bring equity and improve conditions of detectives to encourage them to do more work

Pressed by BOSA MP Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster on plans to start reducing the backlog, Mchunu said the situation was untenable.

“We need to employ people on contract to deal with this particular project. It will take us two years if we get the number of people that are estimated, with salaries, vehicles and so on.

“We are trying to find money from the private sector because at the moment we don’t have that money in the budget.”

He said they were engaging the private sector to get the funding to make up for the gap in their finances.

EFF MP Mazwi Blose asked Mchunu about the impact the vacancies in the detective services is having on the SAPS's ability to fulfil its mandate.

Mchunu said it was impossible to match the demand in terms of numbers in all the units.

“That is going to take us time. We increase the numbers depending how far we can go.”

SAPS currently has 153,000 officers and it ideally should have 200,000, Mchunu said.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za