Parly committee to meet on gangs

Parliament’s police portfolio committee will tomorrow evaluate the current anti-gang strategy of the police in its first meeting of 2019.

In a statement yesterday, committee chairperson Francois Beukman said the Saps’ ability to deal with organised crime, and specifically organised gangs, was key to ensuring that the recommendations of the national development plan about the re-establishment of specialised units was fully implemented.

The committee had invited civil society groups and community leaders from four provinces to the meeting to give testimony on their experiences and concerns about law enforcement in gang-infested areas.

Community groups from Gauteng, Western and Eastern Cape, and Free State had been invited to the meeting tomorrow.

The groups included community police forums, civil society, and religious leaders.

The committee said police stations in gang-infested areas should have competent and experienced station commanders and the necessary resources to deal with the problems they encountered daily.

Beukman said the committee would seek assurances from national police management. – ANA