FirstRand Donates 100 Smart Devices as SAPS Digitisation Acceleration Begins

FirstRand has donated 100 mobile devices equipped with automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR) technology to the South African Police Service (SAPS). 

The move forms part of a multi-pronged public-private push to modernise frontline policing by digitising services, including statements and dockets. 

The plan involves upgrading the system to the point where crime victims can use devices like a smart phone to securely capture their statement on the way to a police station, via a digital service that also identifies the closest police station.  Digital prompts would help the victim understand what information is required. 

In the case of the licence plate recognition, the field-ready technology provides officers on patrol with real-time capabilities to identify suspicious vehicles. Beyond immediate traffic and field enforcement. It links to the broader push to digitise routine administrative functions. 

Accident reporting and statement taking are among five high-volume citizen services identified for  digital redesign in partnership with SAPS. The other key priority workflows include police clearance certificates, document certification, and affidavits. By transitioning these manual tasks into guided digital formats, SAPS aims to streamline station administrative burdens while ensuring essential evidence is captured accurately from the outset. 

The redesign also encompasses the criminal justice sector. In addition to digital dockets, scheduled future phases include a modernised Firearms Management System, and dedicated "Police Digital Zones," alongside ongoing refurbishments at various police stations countrywide, including Mitchells Plain station. 

"The ambition is therefore to start connecting the whole journey: from the first interaction with a citizen, to a better-quality statement, through the creation and management of a digital docket, the investigation and ultimately the matter being ready for prosecution," FirstRand said in response to Cape Chamber queries.  

The company says its efforts are anchored in the Joint Initiative on Crime and Corruption (JICC), coordinated via Business Leadership South Africa's Business Against Crime (BACSA) platform. Through this mechanism, private sector stakeholders deploy technical expertise, resources, and digital infrastructure to support priorities set by the Presidency and the National Commissioner. 

FirstRand says the bottom-up digital transformation illustrates the tangible value of public-private partnerships. By pairing private sector software and hardware capability with SAPS's operational footprint, the private sector can help improve efficiency at police stations, elevate statement quality for prosecution, and strengthen law enforcement outcomes across South Africa. 

"One of the things we have seen in South Africa over the last few years is the power of partnership between the public and private sectors," FirstRand said.  "And one of the most practical examples of what that partnership can achieve is the work currently underway with SAPS."