01 July 2009

Speaking in the ICD and SAPS Budget Vote today, Velaphi Ndlovu, the IFP Spokesperson on Police, reiterated the IFP's view that street committees will hamper, not bolster, the fight against rampant crime in South Africa.

Ndlovu said that the IFP remains vehemently opposed to Street Committees. "The behaviour of some members of those Street Committees is questionable and we do not believe that the public should be held to ransom simply because they do not agree with those committees. Some of us have been victims of street committees before and we know how they operate, therefore we cannot support them in anyway," said Ndlovu.

The IFP has also called for the urgent appointment of a replacement for the suspended police Commissioner Jackie Selebi: "The Minister must facilitate, as a matter or urgency, the appointment of a National Police Commissioner. This should have been done a long time ago," said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu said that the IFP believes that more focus is needed on the rights of victims of crime. "The IFP believes that it is important that we increase the 'Victim Friendly Facilities' in police stations, so that we adequately cater for the needs of the victims of crime. Domestic violence victims, especially children, must not be exposed to situations that could affect them adversely in any way," said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu said that the IFP supports visible policing as a crime prevention strategy: "Visible policing plays a big part in preventing crimes before crime take place. But the department has failed to fully implement sector policing in all 169 high-contact crime stations.  It is only 78% of the 169 high-contact crime stations that have sector policing implemented and we urge the Minister to fully implement the programme as a matter of urgency," said Ndlovu.

Addressing the critical issue of South Africa's border police, Ndlovu said: "The police have admitted previously that they did not have sufficient resources, neither human, financial, material nor the technical skills required to undertake this mammoth responsibility. The IFP will therefore recommend that there should be an integrated plan which will include SANDF and the Police performing this task until such time the police are equipped to perform this duty," said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu said that it is a well-known fact that serious cases are thrown out of court because of poor investigation skills. "The IFP welcomes the improvement in the training of more detectives in all the spheres of their work, coupled with the proper integration of detectives from the DSO. There should be a link between the investigation and the prosecution so that the prosecutor will understand the case enabling prosecutors to finalise the case in court," said Ndlovu.

Commenting on the ICD Ndlovu said: "The IFP believes that more powers should be given to the ICD in order for them to deal with the police who have been found guilty of offences. The core function of the ICD is to investigate offences. The ICD should be able to take a matter to court directly for the prosecution or punishment of offenders, removing costly procedures and referrals back to the police for action."

Lastly, Ndlovu said that the police must be protected by law.  "When police meet fire with fire, the law must protect them. Therefore section 49 of the criminal law should be looked at, as it exposes the police to the criminals."

In conclusion the IFP has called on the Minister of Police to ensure that Intervention Units are not used for political gain.  "These are highly trained units so we would like to appeal to the Minister to ensure that these police officers are not misused for political gain,"  said Ndlovu.

Contact: Velaphi Ndlovu, 083 625 0803