As the City of Cape Town continues to fight for the devolution of policing powers, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is now hoping that the new police minister will make the necessary changes.
Hill-Lewis said the City has formally submitted its proposals on new draft regulations for municipal policing powers, recently published for public comment.
And while he welcomed the opportunity, he warned that the current draft regulations do not go far enough to make a positive impact in local communities.
“To make a meaningful difference for communities, our officers must have the all-important power to investigate crime to really help SAPS and prosecutors succeed.”
He said the City removes around 400 illegal firearms from the streets annually, but noted that the conviction rate for such cases is at 5% “due to our broken criminal justice system.”
Hill-Lewis has also written to Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, expressing hope that the new minister will “help make Cape Town safer by advancing these regulatory proposals”.
The City wants municipal police to be granted investigative powers for offences under the Firearms Control Act, Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, Prevention of Organised Crime Act, National Road Traffic Act, and a range of property and violent crimes.
It has also proposed real-time access to SAPS crime data, the ability to take witness statements, and forensic examination powers, among other things. In the meantime, Hill-Lews said it has begun training officers in docket-building skills.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, called it “irrational” for officers to have search and arrest powers without investigative authority.
“City police are often the first responders at crime scenes, and must have the authority to preserve and lawfully obtain evidence, maintain an unbroken chain of custody, and initiate a prosecutable case file. Without these powers, time-sensitive evidence is at risk of degradation or loss, witness recollections are not formally captured, and prospects of successful prosecution are diminished,” he said.
This amid ongoing gun violence in the city.
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“We absolutely must improve conviction rates for gang, gun, and drug crime in Cape Town. This is the only way to remove more criminals from the streets of long-suffering communities, where the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit,” said Hill-Lewis.
