Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has tightened regulations set out to ensure members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) are beyond reproach.
On Friday, Mchunu released amendments to South African Police Service (SAPS) Regulations for the Hawks, which were first introduced in September 2010.
In terms of the regulations, Hawks officers are to be subjected to integrity testing, including polygraph, alcohol, and drug tests.
In addition, every member, irrespective of rank, shall, not later than April 30 of every year, disclose to the minister his or her registrable business interests, those registrable interests of his or her immediate family members, of which he or she is aware.
The regulations also empower the national head of the Hawks to conduct or authorise any member or any other person to conduct an integrity testing programme to test the integrity of any relevant member of the directorate.
Integrity testing programmes may involve an act or omission (by a person who is conducting the integrity testing) that offers a relevant member whose integrity is being tested the opportunity to engage in behaviour, whether lawful or unlawful, in contravention of the SAPS’s code of conduct or contravention of any law; or constituting misconduct in terms of the disciplinary regulations.
According to the regulations, integrity testing also involves testing a member for the abuse of alcohol or drugs, or using the polygraph or a similar instrument.
Mchunu’s amendments make provision for a report detailing the outcome of the polygraph or similar test to be submitted to the integrity section for further investigation.
“(The) integrity section must, as soon as such investigation is finalised, submit the investigation report to the head of the directorate and the vetting officers for further handling,” state the amendments.
Hawks members who, without good reason, fail to provide a specimen of breath as required commit misconduct, and if found guilty, may be subject to the sanction for disobeying a lawful order, command, or instruction in terms of the SAPS disciplinary regulations.
Specimens of breath from a relevant Hawks member when reporting for duty, while on duty or while on call for duty, may not have any evidence of alcohol when such member is tested.
