New Tshwane metro police system hits snags
There were some administrative hurdles in developing the capacity that the IPMS envisioned within the TMPD itself.
The city of Tshwane has hit a snag in the plan to develop a new integrated police management system (IPMS) to strengthen policing and the metro police department’s disciplinary measures in the city.
Tshwane MMC for community safety and emergency services Karen Meyer said with the centralisation of ICT, there were some administrative hurdles in developing the capacity that the IPMS envisioned within the TMPD itself.
Meyer said this matter was being discussed by the office of the chief of police with the group head for corporate and shared services.
Meyer said that since February last year, strengthening police management processes and disciplinary procedures had been among her key priorities.
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Meyer said the IPMS was a key component of the successful implementation of the revised integrated policing strategic framework for crime prevention, safety and security that was approved by the mayoral committee in April.
“The development of the IPMS is currently underway and is a first for the city.”
She said the purpose of the IPMS was to develop, acquire and implement modern technologies to transform and optimise the functioning and effectiveness of the metro police.
“This includes enhancing its ability to monitor resource allocation and distribution, track crime and other relevant trends to enable the metro to respond more effectively and address shortcomings.”
Meyer said the IPMS would also look into the monitoring, evaluating and deploying of metro police officers.
“It is an especially critical tool in continuously monitoring the whereabouts and conduct of officers,” she said.
Meyer said she raised the issue of expediting the finalisation of the IPMS development again with the chief of the metro police last week.
She said the issue of expediting the finalisation of the IPMS development was prompted by a recent complaint of alleged metro police misconduct.
“I will also liaise with the office of the city manager to address the bureaucratic and current budget constraints to the implementation of the project. I will request that the project be budgeted for during the current adjustment budget process or in the next financial year.”
Meyer said it had also become apparent that the manner in which disciplinary issues relating to the metro police were dealt with was unsatisfactory.
Meyer said capacity constraints and potential conflicts of interest hampered the effective, speedy and satisfactory conclusion of grievance and disciplinary procedures within the metro police.
“This includes a lack of prosecutors and presiding officers for disciplinary cases. These are, at present, investigated and dealt with internally,” she said.
“I have, on a number of occasions, raised the matter with TMPD management and the office of the city manager. I have previously requested that they investigate the feasibility and desirability of having disciplinary procedures against TMPD officers concluded externally and independently,” she said.
This comes after the TMPD faced controversy last year, when video footage surfaced on social media of metro officers pulling and pushing a school teacher, Kymie du Toit, around in Centurion.
Do you think she’s right or wrong ?#Pretoria #Traffic #TMPD #TshwaneScandal pic.twitter.com/ZpmbYIxSSn
— Tshepo dot.9 (@tmosima4) November 26, 2019
“Police misconduct, particularly when violent, perpetrated against women, and motivated by racial or other prejudice, is a serious contravention of the law and gravely undermines the objects and professionalism of law enforcement agencies.”
Meyer said the IPMS would strengthen the metro police’s capacity to prevent such incidents and thoroughly investigate and deal with them whenever they occurred.
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