This monograph aims to update readers on the nature, rationale and implications of the restructuring of the detective service within the South African Police Service (SAPS) announced by National SAPS Commissioner Jackie Selebi in January 2000.

In doing so, the functioning of the entire detective service before and after the restructuring, and of specialised units that fall within the detective service, is discussed. The position of the detective service within the SAPS, and the performance of the detective service, nationally and provincially, is explored. This provides the context for considering the rationale underpinning the restructuring, as well as the way in which restructuring has been approached by the SAPS.

Given the implications for performance, the monograph also considers the relationship between the new specialised detective units and other agencies such as the Directorate of Special Operations (commonly known as the ‘Scorpions’), the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), intelligence structures such as the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and the Independent Complaint’s Directorate. Finally, recommendations in the light of these analyses are made.

The monograph does not aim to reflect the views of detectives across the country about the restructuring of the service. Instead, it hopes to outline the approach within SAPS management towards improving the performance of the detective service. Apart from a handful of media reports and parliamentary briefings on the topic, the nature and rationale of the restructuring has remained unclear for many working in the field. The aim of this monograph is to place the restructuring in perspective and provide clarity.

The methodology has focused on presenting the views of higher-ranking officers and managers in the detective service. Since the monograph aims to update readers about the changes in the service at a strategic level, this approach is considered adequate. In addition, a wide range of statistical information has been analysed to give an insight into the activities and performance of the detective service. (For an in-depth discussion of the attitudes of operational detectives, see A Altbeker, Solving crime: the state of the SAPS detective service, ISS Monograph Series No 31, November 1998.)

Interviews and discussions with 15 senior detectives and former senior detectives of the SAPS were conducted between July and October of 2001. These included detectives and former detectives from Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Northern Cape. All of those interviewed were or had been of a rank of superintendent or higher and had in the region of ten years’ experience within the detective service. All the interviews took place in the Western Cape or Gauteng, purely for practical reasons. Much of the material was provided through interviews and liaison with the communication services department of the national office of the detective service. In addition, the majority of interviews were with senior managers who were or had been heads of particular specialised units. This is because the restructuring is still being implemented and those at the operational level would not be aware of all the relevant details. Former detectives were interviewed in order to gain an informed perspective from outside the SAPS, in order inter alia to explore the reasons why detectives leave the SAPS.

In addition to these interviews, the monograph also drew heavily on information gained through visits to all 150 police stations in the Western Cape during 2001. During this research process, approximately 200 detectives, station commanders, or crime information analysis officers were interviewed, and their views are among those discussed here.1 In addition, the monograph drew on similar fieldwork currently in progress in Gauteng, which in October 2001 involved visits to 19 police stations in Gauteng.

Statistics and quantitative data were gleaned from various sources, including the Crime Information Analysis Centre of the SAPS, the Auditor-General’s reports, and the National Expenditure Survey and Budget Review. The data were analysed and re-cast in order to gain insight into the distribution and performance of detectives in the detective service. Certain statistics were plotted geographically using the Mapinfo software programme and geographical data. Further information was obtained from the minutes of parliamentary meetings, press releases of the SAPS, and internal letters and memoranda between the national and provincial SAPS levels. Information was also obtained directly from the communication services department of the national head office of the SAPS.