The South African Police was formed in 1913, however with the advent of democracy in 1995, all existing police forces in the region - The South African Police, The Transkei Police, The Venda Police, The KwaZulu Police, The Bophuthatswana Police and the KwaNdebele Police - were amalgamated to form the South African Police Service (the Service).
During that same year the National Anti-Corruption Unit was formed mainly to deal with alarming levels of corruption in the Gauteng Province which has the city of Johannesburg as the main centre.
It quickly became apparent that corruption was not limited to this area alone and the Anti-Corruption Unit was extended to serve the whole of the country.
As the Unit decentralized and established itself throughout South Africa we realized that mere reactive strategies were not enough and that it was imperative to develop a pro-active attitude to corruption that would not only sensitize members of the Service to the various issues on corruption, but also enhance the integrity of its members.
The first step was to create an administrative process that would ensure that members of the Service who came forward with information on corruption would be protected. This was found to be very important because of the likelihood that members would suffer intimidation when they reported corruption and that such members would have to be removed from danger very quickly, without having to go through a cumbersome administrative process of transfer.
The second step was to create a code of conduct which is signed by all members and where members, amongst others, commit themselves to prevent corruption and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The code is unfortunately not linked to an employment contract that would bring about summary dismissal if breached, but has proven to be of some use when evidence in aggravation of sentence is given and the signed code presented to court.
Although these strategies have been implemented, they merely form the basis on which integrity is to be built because in the past the approach against corruption has always been a re-active one. Criminal proceedings against an offender are one of the most effective interventions to be made, but it is equally important to address the conducive environment and causes that lead to a criminal act taking place.
The Service has, therefore, developed a Police Service Integrity Maintenance Plan which aims to combat any abusive action that leads to:
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A loss or abuse of Police resources;
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A breakdown in the Integrity of any Police policy, Process or Service;
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an environment conducive to criminal behaviour and exploitation.
It is only through a continued and dedicated effort that employees of the Service can be sensitized to corruption and that Police Service Integrity can be assured.
Stefan Grobler
Commander
National Anti-Corruption Unit
South African Police Service
