‘We can’t repeat the history of dysfunction’: Ian Cameron gets Parliament police oversight role

From a thorn in the police’s side, Ian Cameron may be hoping to become their greatest asset.

Cameron was elected to the head of the Portfolio Committee on Police on Wednesday, and the former activist has immediately identified areas in need of improvement.

The committee’s 2024/25 budget allocation and performance meeting revealed a dire shortage of detectives and crime intelligence personnel.

An opportunity to revamp

Citing a big gap between budget allocation and effectiveness, Cameron said he wanted to transform the crime intelligence unit into a “potent crime-fighting tool”.

He said the unit had an allocation of R4.7 billion and declared: “We cannot afford to repeat the history of inefficiencies, unaccountability and dysfunction within this critical environment.”

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The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) themselves identified areas they were hoping to improve, most notably the forensic science services, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (IPID) and the family violence, child protection and sexual offences (FCS) units.

Cameron said a lack of detectives was a concern.

“We have an immense responsibility to ensure that the SAPS management put in place strategies to remedy capacity challenges within the detective services, and it will be an area of focus for this committee.”

Action Society welcomes appointment

Cameron was the former Director of Community Safety at Action Society, and the organisation was quick to celebrate his appointment.

“South Africans deserve a police force that acts in their interest, free of political interference and corruption.  Now is the chance to turn things around,” said Action Society spokesperson Juanita du Preez.

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The organisation urged the committee to fight for those who have failed to receive justice and the victims of crime.

Personal responsibility

Posting on social media on the morning after his appointment, Cameron hailed the moment as “one of the most significant honours” of his career.  

I am a firm believer in closing the gap between people on the ground and the relevant authorities when it comes to fighting crime,” he stated.