In a statement, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says that Minister Cele’s mindless “shoot to kill” order reinforces the need for police devolution.
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The mayor’s statement was motivated by the SAPS Western Cape Festive Season event in Mitchell’s Plain yesterday, whereby Minister Cele said police officers must not ask questions; they must just “shoot and kill.”
Mayor Hill-Lewis said:
“I strongly condemn Minister Cele’s remarks and call on other leaders in government and civil society to join me in doing so.”
He continued, “This instruction from the Minister of Police to the police officers under his watch is not only profoundly irresponsible, but it is also an incitement to break the law. The Criminal Procedures Act provides very clear guidelines on the appropriate and proportionate use of force for police officers.”
The mayor claimed that Minister Cele’s remarks can only be interpreted as bluster from a failed police minister who lacks a solid understanding of how to combat crime. He said that it has become common for national police ministers to tell people to “shoot to kill” when it is clear that they are failing to stop crime.
“Minister Charles Nqakula did it in 2003, Minister Susan Shabangu did it in 2008, Minister Cele did it previously in 2009 and Minister Fikile Mbalula in 2017. As the national crime statistics show, this rhetoric has got us precisely nowhere.”
Mayor Hill-Lewis declared that the City of Cape Town rejects this “cowboy approach” to fighting crime and would rather provide adequate funding for its law enforcement organisations to ensure that officers are properly trained to apprehend criminals.
His statement continued:
“The Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town’s deployment of LEAP officers in the most crime-affected communities are making a positive impact. The Crime Stats released for the 1st Quarter of 2022 indicates that, while the national murder rate is increasing, murder continues to come down in areas where LEAP officers are deployed. To date, we have deployed 1 100 new officers in communities impacted by high crime rates, including Delft, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Philippi, Hanover Park, Bishop Lavis, Mfuleni, and Harare, in partnership with the Western Cape.”
The City of Cape Town has reportedly allocated a record R5.4 billion in safety funding this year, including funding for 230 additional officers and auxiliary personnel. It has also committed R66 million over the next three years to the expansion of the City’s law enforcement training college’s training capacity.
This month, the City announced the deployment of a 24/7 dedicated highway patrol unit that will be put in place on Cape Town’s main roads to improve traffic service, reduce fatalities, and maintain law and order.
“However, we can do so much more if we are given more power to do so. In August this year, I sent a formal request to Minister Cele to give the City of Cape Town’s police officers full crime-fighting powers, including the ability to investigate crime. This devolution of policing powers to a local level is provided for in Section 99 of the Constitution.”
Mayor Hill-Lewis claimed that Minister Cele has not yet responded to this request.
The Mayor concluded his statement with the following remarks:
“I, therefore, reiterate my call to Minister Cele to grant the City of Cape Town more powers for our local police officers to fully investigate crime so that criminals are caught, prosecuted and put behind bars.”
“We are prepared to help the national Police Minister, but he needs to give us the powers to do so. The devolution of policing powers will help shift the needle in the fight against crime; mindless bluster will not.”
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc gallery