R140 billion to be spent on keeping us safe

THE government would invest nearly R140 billion to keep South Africans safe, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said yesterday.

A total of R98bn would be spent on police, prisons and courts and R41.6bn on defence.

In line with the government’s goal of ensuring access to justice, R300m has been allocated for court infrastructure, including new high courts in Polokwane and Nelspruit.

The office of the public protector and the corruption-busting Special Investigating Unit have also been allocated R285m to boost their capacity.

Budget documents show that, of the R98bn for public order and safety, R65bn is for police services, R17.9bn for prisons and R15.1bn for law courts.

Visibility of police, partnership policing and community mobilisation would be highlighted – while the capacity of detectives, forensic services and crime intelligence would also be boosted.

Priorities

The Police Department’s visible policing programme aims to reduce the number of serious crimes from 2 071 487 in 2010/11 to 1 910 674 in 2014/15.

The crime intelligence programme aims to increase the number of network operations in support of crime prevention, investigation and prosecution from 24 384 in 2010/11 to 32 507 in 2014/15.

The Correctional Services Department will focus on strengthening the parole system, implementing rehabilitation programmes and improving the management of remand detainees. Expenditure on infrastructure is expected to decrease to R841.3m over the medium term.

The incarceration programme aims to enhance safety in prisons by improving security, establishing a gang management unit and implementing an electronic inmate tracking system, to reduce the number of escapes from 106 in 2010/11 to 46 in 2014/15.

The programme also aims to upgrade at least three facilities and create 1 045 new bed spaces by 2012/13, and to reduce the level of overcrowding from 34.9 percent in 2010/11 to 28 percent in 2014/15.

Another goal is to furnish 61 kitchens with new equipment, and complete seven school facilities for youth offenders by 2014/15 .

The Justice Department has allocated R14.4m, R15.1m and R15m over the medium term to Legal Aid SA to implement the Children’s Act and the Child Justice Act.

The department is to convert 24 branch courts into full magistrate’s courts by 2012/13.

It will also designate two child justice one-stop centres.

Defence Department spending on infrastructure – refurbishing bases, units, depots and hospitals – will increase to R1.3bn over the medium term, and the rebuilding of the runway of Air Force Base Waterkloof will cost R1.2bn.

Spending on defence, public order and safety is set to grow to R158bn in 2014/15.