President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the keynote address on the first day of the 2025 National Policing Summit, on Tuesday, where he stressed the need for a clear plan from the Summit to address the systemic deficiencies that are negatively impacting policing.

The three-day summit is taking place in Gauteng, under the theme ‘Efficiency in Action: Optimising South Africa's Policing Potential’ and aims to reflect on current policing approaches and develop more effective methods for the South African Police Service (Saps).

Speaking earlier at the Summit, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that the Saps was reconfiguring its organisational structure to fight crime more effectively.

Ramaphosa described the gathering as a “landmark summit”, and said South Africans owed the Saps their full support.

However, he echoed Mchunu’s earlier concerns of corruption in the police sector and said that the fundamentals of policing needed to be strengthened, and a culture of honesty and integrity needed to be instilled in the police.

“It is not enough to demonstrate that we are prosecuting SAPS members guilty of corruption. It is our expectation that this summit will devote the necessary attention to promoting ethical behaviour, accountability and measures to rebuild confidence in law enforcement. Respect for the rule of law and of the authority of the State is a cardinal priority for this summit. Instilling a culture of ethics forms part of wider efforts to professionalise the Saps,” Ramaphosa said.

He noted that police resources were stretched thin and called for support for Saps members. He further noted that police numbers were dropping as the country’s population grew and suggested programmes that attract the “right calibre” of Saps candidates, as well as training, education and career development.

The President further stressed the need for collaboration between law-enforcement agencies for better coordination and data sharing.

He said he was encouraged that the Summit planned to address ways to integrate digital platforms into policing to improve public interaction. He said it was important to empower citizens.

“We know that communities are the most potent resource for fighting crime. Crimes happen in communities and criminals are often known to communities. From this summit we need a clear plan on how to better involve communities in crime prevention and detection, and on harnessing the potential of community policing forums (CPFs) in line with relevant legislation and regulations. Citizens must be empowered to actively participate in crime prevention efforts through collaboration, awareness and community-driven initiatives to create safer neighbourhoods. This can no longer be seen as an add-on. It is critical to an effective policing strategy,” Ramaphosa said.

Other partnerships must involve the private sector, he added, and must include support for CPFs, private donations for victims support centres and equipment and services.  

“As government we remain committed to turning the tide against crime and to making our communities safer. It is our hope that the recommendations emerging from this summit translate into deeper collaboration, more effective methods and a promising future for policing in South Africa,” Ramaphosa said.