Union cautions against call for police staff replacement over claims they’re ‘working with criminals’

An appeal by the West Rand community for the replacement of station commanders and SA Police Service (Saps) officers, blamed for “working with criminals”, was populist, unlawful and unprocedural, the Independent Policing Union of SA (Ipusa) said yesterday.

Although the community is on the receiving end of spiralling crime levels, exacerbated by the recent Krugersdorp gang rape of eight women, Ipusa president Bethuel Nkuna cautioned against the call for police staff replacement over allegations of collusion with criminals – a view shared by a leading security expert.

Ipusa, said Nkuna, implored the community to “utilise available platforms to raise their concerns by participating in community policing forums, so that they can input on the type of policing they want”.

“These structures are legal in nature and complaints lodged through them may see the office of the minister intervening, if local and provincial offices have failed,” he said.

“We shouldn’t wait for the imbizos, or public gatherings. The call by the West Rand community will not be the first one to be unlawful and unprocedural. One such call was made during the tenure of [former Police] Minister Fikile Mbalula, who served as the political head of Saps, when he removed senior officers and made them overseers elsewhere.

“The court did not take kindly to this and punished the minister’s conduct with costs and reinstatement.

“Coincidentally, the then minister was responding to calls made by the same community of West Rand. “We warn the current minister [Bheki Cele] not to repeat the same mistake,” added Nkuna.

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Independent security analyst Dr Johan Burger said: “I tend to agree with Ipusa. Communities are free to call for an investigation into police conduct, including allegations of police involvement with criminals.

“An investigation should prove, substantiate such allegations, or support any calls for removal of particular police officers. Police management cannot act against police members only on the basis of unsubstantiated calls or allegations unless it is supported by solid proof.”

He warned Saps against responding to “populist decisions”. Said Nkuna: “Structural deformity is not only hurting the community of West Rand alone, but the entire South Africa. Manpower and vehicles aren’t issues which can be resolved now, but over a period.

“The current structure we are using makes members of the Saps get overwhelmed by crime. Our members are working under very severe conditions and we beg South Africans to understand this.

“The issue of the zama zamas[illegal miners], unfortunately, it is not something new and needs a government multifaceted approach.

“These people are not only committing contact crimes, but [allegedly] with the help of some department of home affairs officials, remove our people from their houses as well. You need a multiparty approach to deal with this.

“The reactive approach will take us nowhere, other than pit one against another, with the Saps at the end becoming the victim, due to other department’s weaknesses.”

He said Ipusa was “happy that members of the community also raised the issue of district commanders who happen to be spectators when they are supposed to be providing support to stations falling within their area of jurisdiction”.

“They are not known, because the current structure does not allow them to participate in crime fighting, rendering it a wasteful expenditure,” said Nkuna.

Info

• Specialised units have been deployed to tackle crime and illegal mining on the West Rand.
• National police chief Fanie Masemola said last week: “We will respond through action as the police, we will deploy the highly trained … teams to make sure we flush out all undesirable elements in this area.
• Whoever comes with fire will be met with fire. We ask … the community, to assist us.”