a recruitment drive to fill the vacancies, with a total of 14 977 new constables being allocated to the Detective Services in all the Provinces. A number of significant successes were achieved in the fight against crime. The drop in the incidences of murder represents a highlight in this reporting period. For the first time since the establishment of the South African Police Service in 1995/1996, incidents of murder decreased from 26 877 in 1995/1996 to 16 834 cases in 2009/2010, representing a 50% reduction18. While murder figures are still high, the country is encouraged by the progress made thus far. Incidents of attempted murder saw a decrease of 6.1%, while reductions by 10.4% in street/public robbery and 6.8% in car-hijackings were also reported. The latter was accompanied by a stabilization of the number of residential and business robberies reported in the country. The positive developments reflected by these notable decreases will be sustained and enhanced. During the period under review, government made concerted efforts to ensure a speedy resolution of court cases. This saw High and Lower Courts finalising 113 928 cases during April and July 2009, with a conviction rate of 79.5%. Measures to promote the rehabilitation of detainees to reduce recidivism were also taken within the correctional services. Two thousand three hundred and fifty six (2 356) out of 7 444 offenders who were registered for Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) participated in literacy programmes. Furthermore, offenders are participating in Further Education and Training (FET) Programmes as part of corrections. Recognising that the fight against crime is not the business of government alone, the South African citizenry has formed community social groups , across sectors, to assist the government in combating criminal activities. The SAPS has also established strategic partnerships with various organizations, such as Business Against Crime, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Independent Radio Stations, Community Policing Forums (CPFs), non-governmental organizations and religious groups. As a result of the community-police partnerships, 132 organized crime rings were investigated in the year ending January 2009, with 470 syndicate members arrested. In the same period, the partnership between the police and business led to the arrest of 613 people and the seizure of R24 million worth of drugs, firearms, and other items. 18 South African Police Service 2009/2010 Annual Report 52