The SAPS e-Docket System

For many years, media reports have continuously highlighted the seriousness of stolen and lost case dockets plaguing the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Published on 21 August 2009 in ISS Today

Bilkis Omar, Researcher, Crime, Justice and Politics Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)

For many years, media reports have continuously highlighted the seriousness of stolen and lost case dockets plaguing the South African Police Service (SAPS).

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A recent parliamentary response by the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthetwa, regarding missing case dockets, showed that 688 dockets had gone missing from stations across the country in the period April 2008 to February 2009. North West Province reported the highest number of missing dockets at 260, while KwaZulu-Natal reported 132 missing dockets.

A senior SAPS officer claims that the above numbers are not a true reflection of the actual numbers of missing or stolen dockets but reflect only those reported to the provincial commissioners. He avers that disclosure of larger figures will reflect poorly on station performance as missing and stolen dockets can be detected during routine 24-hour and monthly inspections, implying that station commissioners have been remiss in their duty.

It is difficult to determine the exact numbers of stolen or lost dockets despite disclosure by the SAPS, but it is also clear that the problem is very prevalent within SAPS. Earlier this week, a policeman and his police clerk wife, including an accomplice, were also arrested for corruption related to missing case dockets. In July, a docket of a woman who was gang-raped went missing and resurfaced later at the same police station.

Examples such as the above have drawn attention to the SAPS’ reliance on physical paper dockets, and have cast doubts on the veracity of the chain of evidence when a docket goes missing and resurfaces. Ultimately it results in miscarriages of justice for victims and complainants who depend on the criminal justice system to address their concerns.

In September 2008, the SAPS embarked on an e-docket system aimed at preventing the theft and sale of dockets as well as the loss of docket information from police stations. Each case docket is first indexed and registered on the Crime Administration System (CAS) before being scanned on a centralised system, accessible at the SAPS Information and System Management (ISM) component at head office. No scanning images are stored at station level and once the information has been stored, it cannot be deleted. The added benefit of the system is the ability of ISM to undertake audit trails of dockets within the new system.

The e-docket system, still at a developmental stage, has been rolled out to 143 police stations in seven provinces. Of these, 100 police stations in Gauteng and 29 police stations in KwaZulu-Natal have implemented the new system. Provinces such as Free State and Eastern Cape are still in the preparation phase.

An additional benefit of the system to complainants and the police is the SMS notification system. This is meant to alleviate much of the other challenges facing police, and mostly detectives, at stations. It provides:

While the new system appears systematic and clear-cut, the SAPS have to caution against possible errors that are likely to surface, such as:

The SAPS have undertaken a bold step to address a critical problem of docket theft and loss. The likelihood is strong that the e-docket system will be successful, and apart from the SAPS, victims and complainants will be the greatest benefactors.