STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI
AT POLICE FUNCTION FOR RESOLUTIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR 2017 AND FAREWELL TO RETIREES
AT POLICE COLLEGE
FRIDAY 20 JANUARY 2017
Honourable Ministers
Honourable Members of the Portfolio Committee for the Prime
Minister’s Office
National Commissioner and senior staff of the Royal Swaziland
Police Service
Senior representatives of sister security forces
Secretary to Cabinet and Civil Servants of His Majesty’s
Government
Senior representatives of the Retired Police Officers Association
Retiring Officers
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my honour, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, to welcome you all today. It is a great pleasure to witness the participation of so many individuals and institutions that constitute the Police Service section of our security forces.
Let me firstly express the thanks of His Majesty’s Government to the Police, and indeed the Nation, for the peaceful behaviour that we all observed during the festive season and Incwala Ceremony. Police visibility is a well-recognized deterrent to crime and disruptive behaviour, and our Police Service was exemplary in delivery in this area. But while we can rightly celebrate the prevailing peace in our society and the high level of security enjoyed by the average member of our population, we must continue to vehemently lament the prevalence of violent crime against women.
The frequency of crimes of so-called “passion” is truly shocking and heart-rending. The word “passion” can never be an excuse and it is certainly never a solution. And whilst such crimes must be dealt with severely by the Judiciary, the measure of even greater impact is stopping these crimes happening in the first place. Invariably there is evidence of earlier violence and, where this is seen by family or community, there must be intervention, generally by reporting the violence to the authorities. Silence is not the answer.
It is an opportune moment to express the appreciation of His Majesty’s Government for the public’s cooperation with the Police Service, observing the publicized mantra “Together let’s create an barrier against crime and road traffic accidents” which we also know as “Vuka ngwane sibambane sakhe lubondza lwekuvikela bucala netingoti temgwaco.” We ask the Nation to be highly active in applying this concept, not only to crime prevention and detection generally, but also in comprising a powerful day-to-day lobby to eliminate dangerous driving on our roads.
The safety and security of the Swazi Nation is the top priority of the Royal Swaziland Police Service. While achieving that, we will see the many positive spin-offs, such as a peaceful and welcoming business environment for the new investment that will facilitate faster national economic growth.
Your resolutions at this meeting in respect of the New Year 2017 will be your guide for the coming twelve months. Developing the strategies and making the commitments represent an impressive and reassuring programme for the day. But they will amount to nothing without the action to match. And the action has to be monitored and assessed for the quality of the outcome. The Police Service is entirely familiar with that process and must be seen publicly, as well as within Government, to be implementing it diligently. Service performance should continue to be comprehensively displayed at police stations. Positive perceptions by the general public should be a regular feature of the news.
The approach of the Police to tackling that recent arrival on the crime scene – cybercrime – is to be commended, as we see the response to His Majesty’s appeal during the 2016 Policy Day when he directed the Police to keep abreast of this sphere of criminality. Your seeking assistance from Interpol structures to develop effective strategies to curb cybercrime is an important step forward.
As we, the Swazi Nation, expect much from our Police Service you are similarly entitled to what is needed by you for effective discharge of your duties. With this objective in mind, Government will ensure that there will be additional accommodation for the Police from Phase II of the Institutional Housing Project. We will also endeavor to provide the necessary transport for operational purposes, as well as carrying out the programme of rehabilitating police stations around the country. In return, we ask the Police Service to appreciate that public sector resources are limited in quantity and that public service delivery by Government demands a balanced allocation of resources. Furthermore, we ask the Police to ensure that all such new or improved infrastructure, operating equipment and other facilities are well cared for.
I am pleased to say that the accident insurance cover arrangements, for officers in the security forces and fire service who are injured on duty, have been finalized. A separate fund will be established, managed by the Ministry of Finance, that will add an amount to the workmens compensation award that is made in respect of each accident. The new regulations have been approved by Cabinet and will be submitted to Parliament next month. Once approved by Parliament, the regulations will be implemented immediately and backdated to claims since 16 August 2009 - the date of the tragic incident at Mantabeni. The costs will be incorporated in the 2017/18 Budget.
There is also some important legislation that needs finalization – or more specifically, promulgation. The Administrative arm of Government should avail itself fully to assist the Legislature, in the coming 4th Session of Parliament, to complete its work on the Police Bill, Crime Prevention Bill and Public Order Bill.
Let me now join you all in enjoying again the moment at which we thank and pay homage to the Police officers retiring. Of these, 18 officers are in the Assistant Superintendent to Assistant National Commissioner group, 26 are within the Constable to Inspector group and seven are members of the Civilian Support Staff. On behalf of His Majesty’s Government I convey our deepest gratitude for your selfless dedication to duty and career. I ask you not to forget your years of Police duty and to ensure that in your retirement the general public continue to gain from your knowledge and experience. You are not only ambassadors but people who can have a profound influence on behaviour in communities around the country, participating in community development and crime prevention initiatives. You will, today, be able to learn of the benefits of membership of the Retired Police Association who have kindly joined us for this event.
It is now my honour, on behalf of his Majesty’s Government, to wish the retiring officers a long and happy retirement, urge the officers remaining in active service to uphold the highest personal and professional standards, and wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.
Thank you.