The Tshwane metro is working on developing an Integrated Police Management System (IPMS) to strengthen policing and the metro police department’s disciplinary measures in the city.
MMC for community safety and emergency services in Tshwane, Karen Meyer, said: “Since I took office in February, strengthening police management processes and disciplinary procedures has been among the key priorities of my tenure.”
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 process technologies to transform and optimise the functioning and effectiveness of the metro police.
“This includes enhancing its ability to monitor resource allocation and distribution and track crime and other relevant trends to enable the metro to respond more effectively and address shortcomings.
READ MORE: Motorist applauded for holding TMPD officers accountable
Meyer said the IPMS would also look at 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 had previously also raised the issue of expediting the finalisation of the IPMS development again with the Chief of the metro police last week.
Meyer said the issue of expediting the finalisation of the IPMS development was due to 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.
Meyer said, however, that the metro police human resource management, including disciplinary procedures and dealing with misconduct, was subject to labour legislation, collective agreements and codes of conduct for local government and its employees and did not function like police.
“The disciplinary code and procedures concluded at the local government bargaining council does not, for example, provide for police-specific misconduct such as the unauthorised or unlawful discharge of a firearm.”
Meyer’s statement comes after video footage surfaced on social media last week of metro officers pulling and pushing a school teacher, Kymie du Toit, around in Centurion.
Recently a motorist stopped by metro police in Pretoria who asked to be shown identification by traffic law enforcement officers after being issued with a fine, was applauded by transport minister Fikile Mbalula.
Do you think she’s right or wrong ?#Pretoria #Traffic #TMPD #TshwaneScandal pic.twitter.com/ZpmbYIxSSn
— Tshepo dot.9 Mosima (@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 metro police’s capacity in both preventing such incidents and thoroughly investigating and dealing with them whenever they occur.
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