How many party manifestos have you read? Be honest… you glanced over that vision of hope delivered by Helen Zille, but couldn't get past the introduction of the ANC's verbose treatise of self-congratulation. Don't worry, you're not alone.

In the interests of democracy (and because, well, it's our job), we actually took the time and considerable effort to look into the policies of the three biggest parties — the ANC, DA and IFP — and, because they're the new kids on the block, Cope.

As a brief aside: if the US is looking to replace waterboarding as a form of 'humane' torture, I would suggest the task of sifting through the many promises and (substantially fewer) solutions offered by our politicians.

Yes, it's that bad, which is why we are not going to subject you to all 5067 pages of it. Instead, we bring you the voter's guide to party policies — a concise topic-by-topic guide to what each of the political parties is offering. First up: crime.

Improving the SAPS

While all four parties promised to re-energise and strengthen the police force, there is a fair deal of discrepancy over how this can be achieved.

The DA promises to expand the police force to 250 000 (compared to the government's current target of 190 000) and improve detection rates by employing an additional 30 000 qualified detectives. The IFP, without setting an exact target, agreed that there should be more police and that they should be more visible.

All four parties are committed to improving the existing force through recruitment (ANC), increased resources (Cope), better training (DA, ANC) and better working conditions, including better remuneration (ANC, IFP). More specifically, the DA insists that officers should be employed on the basis of merit and not quotas and the ANC believes that legislation needs to be introduced to protect law-enforcement officers in the execution of their duties.

Both the DA and the IFP want the police force to be decentralised and the IFP also insists that all appointments should be depoliticised.

The DA, IFP and Cope have all promised to reinstate the Scorpions if elected. The ANC, on the other hand, has promised to establish and strengthen a new unit to fight organised crime. All three opposition parties have called for the reinstatement of specialised crime-fighting units. More specifically, units to focus on gender-based violence (Cope, DA), human trafficking (Cope), cross-border crime (Cope, DA), rural safety (DA), school violence (DA), metal theft (DA) and drug- and alcohol-fuelled crimes (DA).

Most original: DA
Most achievable: ANC
Your best bet: DA

Community involvement

The ANC, IFP and Cope all put forward the idea of greater community involvement in efforts to fight crime. The ANC has suggested that communities need to be mobilised to fight crime through street committees and community courts. Cope suggests that the police need to work with communities, community-based organizations and NGOs.

In an attempt to alleviate the strain on the police system, Cope has proposed the introduction of a cadet system in which unemployed matriculants and graduates are placed at police stations to undertake administrative duties, thereby freeing the police for more visible policing.

While the DA has little to say about community involvement, it does push for 'local safety initiatives' and greater co-operation between the police and the private security sector.

Most original: Cope
Most achievable: ANC
Your best bet: Cope

Understanding crime trends

The DA has proposed the creation of a Crime Information Management System that would give the SAPS and the public access to crime statistics on the internet as crimes are reported. The system would also generate weekly reports which would help the police spot trends and develop more sophisticated responses to specific problems. Members of the public would also be able to generate their own category-specific reports.

Both Cope and the DA believe that information management should be technology-based and centralised to allow police and the public to access real-time information about crime trends, to track cases and to circumvent the problem of 'missing' dockets.

Most original: DA
Most achievable: Cope
Your best bet: DA

Sentencing and rehabilitation

The ANC manifesto says nothing about the sentencing and rehabilitation of criminals, but all three opposition parties believe that these aspects of the criminal justice system could be improved.

Both the DA and Cope believe that steps should be taken to identify potential criminals and diversion programmes should be in place to provide alternatives to young South Africans at risk of falling into a life of crime. The IFP argues that more effort should be made to rehabilitate juvenile offenders. The DA suggests that first-time or minor offenders should be diverted into community service or reform schools and should be tracked via electronic tracking.

When it comes to sentencing both the DA and Cope have strong stances on life sentences. Cope promises to introduce mandatory life sentences for repeat offenders, while the DA insists that, for them, "life means life" and that those with life sentences should not be granted parole.

The DA has proposed introducing minimum sentences for certain crimes (such as murder), while the IFP has suggested that alternatives to prison should be considered for those convicted of minor crimes. It has also proposed that hard labour be introduced for certain categories of crime.

Most original: IFP
Most achievable: IFP
Your best bet: Any of the above

Prisoners

When it comes to prisoners, Cope and the ANC have nothing to say, the IFP makes two broad suggestions and the DA offers a number of solutions. The two suggestions from the IFP are that (a) more prisons need to be built and (b) the parole system needs to be overhauled and depoliticised.

The DA promises to dramatically increase prisoners' involvement in productive labour and community upliftment programmes. This labour would equip them with skills, contribute to their cost of living and help them to 'atone for their crimes'. The income from the labour, aside from contributing to the prisoners' upkeep, would also go towards a new Victims of Crime fund.

In order for prisoners to qualify for parole in a DA-run South Africa, they would need to pass a drug test to prove that they are drug-free. In order to reduce the number of re-offenders, the DA has proposed setting up income-generating and self-supporting halfway houses, which would help with the transition back into society and give parolees the opportunity to get their lives back together.

Most original: DA
Most achievable: DA
Your best bet: DA

Focus on the courts

Relatively speaking, the DA and IFP gave issues relating to the courts a little coverage; the ANC none at all; and Cope a fair amount.

Both the IFP and Cope feel that the accessibility of the courts needs to be improved, particularly for rural people, the poor, women and differently-abled people. Cope suggests that in order for this to happen, the government needs to strengthen the public defender system and work together with the legal profession to achieve this aim.

The DA has promised to increase prosecution rates by reducing court backlogs and has suggested that legal practitioners be given tax incentives to spend a few hours a month in the public court system. The DA has also stated that it would work towards implementing a 'community service' element to the profession so that in order to be registered as a lawyer, candidates would have to spend a mandatory period of time in the court system. The IFP believes that mandatory time-frames should be legislated to improve the efficiency of judgments and sentencing.

Cope argues that the appointment process of the Judicial Services Council needs to be reviewed so that it ensures less political bias. It also feels that the Magistracy needs to be reviewed, more particularly its accountability to the Ministry of Justice to ensure that the separation of powers is not compromised. Finally it proposes the reintroduction of the assessor system as a means of legitimising the judiciary and instilling public confidence.

Most original: DA
Most achievable: IFP
Your best bet: DA/Cope

What about the victims of crime?

Lastly, all three opposition parties believe that more attention needs to be given to victims of crime. The IFP feels that more emphasis need to be placed on victims rights and Cope has suggested that a victims' charter be developed and implemented to "dispel the notion that our criminal justice system is criminal-friendly".

The DA has proposed the creation of a body called the Directorate for Victims of Crime, which would monitor the response of officials to victims of crime, administer a toll-free helpline for victims and run a national Victim Support Training centre. It also advocates for a Victims of Crime fund, that would ensure that victims have access to services and assistance, and a Victims' Register, that would enable the victims of violent crime and sexual offences to register on a secure and confidential database to be kept updated on any developments relating to the case of the offender.

Most original: DA
Most achievable: IFP
Your best bet: DA

Which party has your vote on the issue of crime? Share your thoughts below…

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