‘Why did you ignore us?’: Lawmakers demand clarity on police inspectorate closure

The portfolio committee on police is to summon Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu and national commissioner General Fannie Masemola to appear before parliament.

The committee has written to Mchunu and Masemola to question the decision to shut down the inspectorate analysis centre and service complaints.

This week, its chair in parliament, Ian Cameron, criticised the latest decision by Mchunu, calling it illogical.

Cameron criticised Mchunu’s latest decision

“They didn’t communicate with us at all. There was no early warning; no indication that this was being discussed. We received several messages from people inside the Saps, after which I asked my office to follow up.

“It was confirmed to us, and I then wrote to the minister and the national commissioner.”

Cameron said while it was within the mandate of the minister, the committee was concerned about what would replace the division.

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“The inspectorate is one of the more functional departments in the police and should be expanded, not disbanded,” he said, adding the decision would weaken accountability and further compromise the already poor accountability framework within the police.

“We’ve been through the budget process and this decision should have been part of that discussion.

“It has serious implications for public trust in the police; to an institution that has a serious trust deficit. Its closure will further erode the low faith that the people have in the police so the committee and parliament should have been consulted,” Cameron said.

‘Serious implication for public trust in the police’

The decision should have been discussed during the budget process due to its significant implications. While the timeline for implementation was unclear, the changes were expected to be rolled out provincially, he said.

The division was established in 1995 as an internal mechanism for holding police officers and management accountable.

“There must be a mechanism for the public to register complaints and ensure they are adequately followed up. The inspectorate plays a huge role in this, despite being under-resourced.

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“Any replacement must cooperate effectively with Ipid [Independent Police Investigative Directorate] and the civilian secretariat for police.

“A democratic country cannot have a police service without an inspectorate or similar monitoring and evaluation capabilities,” Cameron said.

The Citizen on Tuesday sent an enquiry to Mchunu’s office. But spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi said: “The minister is not commenting on the matter at the moment.”

Minister not commenting

The decision follows weeks after Mchunu’s disbandment of the controversial political killings task team and a ban on new intelligence recruits.

However, Christopher Mabasa, a former police detective and a trainer within the Saps, questioned the effectiveness of the inspectorate.

“When these people go to the station, they do the same tasks already handled by the province, the district, or the station.

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“Some people in the unit don’t even understand the topics or tasks. They’re just doing repetitive work already inspected by branch commanders. It is a waste of time and resources.”

Mabaso said the units’ reports were largely ignored and, in some cases, lacked the capacity.

According to William Els of the Institute for Security Studies, the decision was a surprise, given its mandate in upholding accountability in Saps.

Decision was a surprise

“With the absence of the inspectorate, there has been an increase in police misconduct. It’s a critical time when misconduct cannot be afforded.

“While there are pockets of excellence, the majority of the police force appears to be underperforming,” he said.

Els warned that removing the inspectorate without a suitable replacement could worsen Saps’ decline.

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