Johannesburg: A "lacklustre" performance by Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula and the "disappearance from the radar" of Commissioner Jackie Selebi have left the Democratic Alliance wondering who was in charge of fighting crime, the party said in a statement yesterday.

DA MP Roy Jankielsohn, the party's spokesperson for safety and security, said 2005 had been a bad year for Nqakula, and Selebi disappeared from the limelight.

"It is never clear who is leading the fight against crime," Jankielsohn said, adding there was "a glaring lack of political leadership".

This lack of leadership was one of 10 safety and security issues that the party would be focusing on this year.

The others included police personnel policies, police equipment, the Firearms Control Act, parliamentary accountability, crime statistics, police corruption and misconduct and the improvement of the criminal justice system.

Jankielsohn was concerned that the ANC "both inside and outside the SAPS" might be using the police for political purposes.

"The recent investigation into the Zuma rape charge, including constant leaks to the press from unnamed sources within the SAPS, smacked of a political cat-and-mouse game.

"The in-fighting within the ruling party has spilled over into our law enforcement agencies and has become a threat to national security in South Africa."

One clear threat Jankielsohn said, was South Africa's "porous borders".

"The security vacuum in rural areas, especially along our borders, must not be allowed to develop further."

He said that especially attacks from Lesotho were of the greatest concern.

"If other governments are not able to restrain their citizens from committing crimes in South Africa, the SAPS, with the support of the South African National Defence Force, should be able to carry out hot pursuit operations to retrieve South African property and apprehend perpetrators of crimes." The DA highlighted what it called "critical vacancies".

"Currently shortages of crime prevention personnel required to ensure optimal staffing are sitting at 46% (2 235) in Gauteng, 49% (940) in the Free State, and 45% (2 724) in KwaZulu-Natal.

"There is also a 28% (1 372) shortage of detectives in Gauteng and a 19% (541) shortage of detectives in the Western Cape."

The party said there were a further 122 vacancies at the forensic crime laboratory and 152 vacancies at the criminal record centre.

"Although government continues to make promises regarding the recruitment of additional police officials and the training of additional detectives, it should never have allowed this situation to develop in the first place," Jankielsohn said.

He said the DA would be focusing on these issues in parliament.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and the Cape Times.