READER LETTER | Expanding municipal policing powers must be supported

It is long overdue that the minister of police is held accountable for his continued refusal to seriously engage with calls for expanded municipal policing powers, while ordinary South Africans continue to bear the devastating consequences of violent crime. I support the DA-led City of Cape Town’s decision to declare an intergovernmental dispute and to compel meaningful engagement on this critical issue. The safety of communities cannot be held hostage by political resistance or an unwillingness to consider practical solutions.

The recently tabled SAPS Amendment Bill provides the minister with an important opportunity to demonstrate genuine commitment to improving public safety by engaging constructively with proposals that seek to strengthen policing capacity across the country. For years, capable municipal law enforcement officers have arrested suspects, removed illegal firearms from our streets and confiscated dangerous drugs, only to hand these cases over to an already overstretched SAPS detective service. Too often, these cases then collapse under the weight of delays, weakened dockets and limited investigative capacity, allowing dangerous criminals to return to our communities.

Providing suitably trained, properly regulated and accountable municipal police officers with clearly defined investigative powers would strengthen the criminal justice system and improve the chances of successful prosecutions. This is not about creating competition with the SAPS. It is about recognising that every credible and properly governed resource must be used to protect citizens.

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SA’s policing framework must evolve because the current model is failing too many communities. The escalating levels of violent crime demand bold thinking, co-operation between spheres of government and a willingness to put public safety above political considerations. This dispute presents a historic opportunity to finally have the national conversation that has been postponed for far too long.

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