Harsh words for SAPS leaders
THE warfare between law enforcement agencies was impeding the fight against crime and lawlessness and Gauteng Premier David Makhura said he would not take the issue lying down.
He said the men and women in blue were not coping in building a safer Gauteng. This was the result of not “getting the leadership they require from the top management, due mainly to incessant in-fighting among the leaders of our law enforcement agencies”.
The Star has reported on the legal tussle between acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), led by executive head Robert McBride.
Ipid is calling for Phahlane to be charged for allegedly defeating the ends of justice over his controversial multimillion-rand house in an exclusive suburb in Tshwane, among other things.
Phahlane, on the other hand, has said the investigation against him was spearheaded by private investigator Paul O’Sullivan in an effort to try him in the courts of public opinion.
Makhura, delivering his State of the Province Address yesterday, said the trajectory on crime “remains negative” as communities continued to be “terrorised by gangsters, drug lords and rapists. Murder and robbery remain excruciatingly high. Violence against women, children and members of the LGBTI community remains out of control.”
The premier said: “The leadership of the SAPS and law enforcement officers will be held accountable in delivering concrete results on performance targets at station and cluster level. We want them to bring back visible policing. We want them to bring back specialised units. I want every station, cluster and indeed the provincial commissioner (Lieutenant-General Deliwe de Lange) to report every eight weeks about crime reduction targets. We want to see real progress in closure of drug dens and the arrest and prosecution of drug lords.”
Makhura added that they had adopted a comprehensive Gauteng City Region Policing Plan through which they sought to turn the tide against crime.