Devolution of power down to local level can help transform SAPS

The recent crime stats for the period January – March 2022 paint a horrific picture for the residents of Boksburg.

With serious crimes such as murder – up over 60%, attempted murder up 35% and rape up 29% and the police seem unable to combat the unacceptably high levels of crime.
These figures are for the four Boksburg police stations (Boksburg SAPS, Boksburg North SAPS, Reiger Park SAPS and Dawn Park SAPS),
It is little wonder the residents of Reiger Park are up in arms about the unacceptable high crime rates. The MEC who attended the meeting, on behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Government, has very little authority – if any, over the police.

It is clear to everyone that having a highly centralised police service where recruitment, training, placement and monitoring are all conducted through the police’s headquarters in Pretoria is simply not working. If it were, we would see a consistent and steady reduction of crime across the city and the country.

The countries that effectively manage to tackle crime are those where the police force is devolved to the lowest possible sphere of government.
What is needed is a rethink on how best we protect our citizens from crime – undoubtedly the answer is through the devolution of the police force to provincial and metro levels.

Ekurhuleni should be able to take over the policing functions seated in Pretoria, because the best knowledge on the number of police offices needed, and the training and deployment of officers exists at a local level. The budget for this should be transferred to councils directly from national government.

Crime differs from area to area, and we need a police service that is not only reactive, but agile in its strategy to fight crime.
The National Policing Department should simply have an oversight role where they inspect police stations and training colleges to ensure that minimum standards are met and maintained.

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