A critical analysis of crime investigative system within the South African criminal justice system: a comparative study

Abstract

With the establishment of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions), the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Departmental Investigating Unit (DIU), questions were asked as to whether this is a creation of new units of the Police Service. These questions were exaggerated by the fact that the media uses the term "Scorpions" whenever the Scorpions, the AFU, SIU and the DIU perform their functions.

South African legislation that governs organised crime does not demarcate activities to be dealt with by the SAPS, AFU, DIU, Scorpions and the SIU. The Constitution of South Africa lays down the objects of the police, but it is silent about the objectives of the Scorpions, AFU, SIU, DIU and other investigative institutions except that it only mentions the creation of a single National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

A literature study was used as the basis for this study. In addition, unstructured interviews and observation were used to gather evidence from the relevant stakeholders. An analysis of the SAPS Detective Service, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the Scorpions, the Departmental Investigating Unit (DIU) of the Department of Correctional Services and the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), was done in order to establish the overlapping of functions.

Indeed, overlapping was discovered between the Scorpions and the SAPS Detective Service, the AFU and the SIU, as well as between the SAPS and the DIU. In order to make a proper finding, an analysis was done of anti-corruption agencies in Botswana, Nigeria, Malawi and Hong Kong. The findings indicate that the better way of fighting corruption, fraud, economic and financial crimes, is through the establishment of a single agency that will work independently from the police, with a proper jurisdiction.