Cape Forum, a civil society organisation linked to AfriForum, has appealed to the Constitutional Court to restructure policing powers in an effort to give direct control of policing to the Western Cape.
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The main reason for the change-of-power request stems from an increase in violent crime in the province, as reported by the Weekend Argus. The forum argues that current policing models are no longer effective in keeping residents safe.
Heinrich Wyngaard, Cape Forum’s executive chairperson, says the group’s application is based on Section 127(2)(f) of the Constitution, which gives a premier the power and responsibility to be able to hold referendums in the province in accordance with national legislation. Cape Forum has already called on the Premier of the Western Cape to hold a referendum through which the residents of the Western Cape’s support can be tested for the devolution of policing powers to the province.
‘The allocation of police resources from the national level to the province, such as the number of members deployed at police stations, also plays a role,’ says Wyngaard.
‘Together with this, it is problematic for Cape Forum that appointments in senior positions are made with candidates who are less qualified than local candidates or who do not speak the majority language of the province.’
‘We believe, as an organisation that advocates for the devolution of state powers to effective provinces, that residents should have a say in the management of services that affect their daily lives.’
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Other calls for the devolution of police also include a tabled provincial powers bill by Christopher Fry, the Democratic Alliance’s chairperson of the standing committee on premier and constitutional matters. The bill seeks to devolve certain powers not only in policing but also in public transport, energy, and harbours.
A few years ago, the Western Cape Government launched the Western Cape Safety Plan (WCSP) in response to SAPS’ inability to fight crime. ‘We have and continue to advocate and lobby for the devolution of policing powers to capable provincial governments, such as the Western Cape Government,’ says Reagan Allen, Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety. ‘We recognise that not all provincial governments might be capable of managing their own police services.
‘The current policing model has failed to combat and address crime effectively. We cannot allow the current system to continue, where decisions are made outside of the provinces without an understanding of the realities.
‘As the Western Cape Government, we will, among others, ensure that once SAPS is devolved to us, they are fully professionalised, capacitated, trained, and placed in a position where they are able to be effective in their mandate.’
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