2016 White Paper on Policing

16 Aug 2016
Civilian Secretariat for Police logo
16 Aug 2016

The Civilian Secretariat for Police has released the 2016 White Paper on Policing, which the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial Government has criticised as "unconstitutional" and "apartheid-style."  A media release of 1 August states "As the Western Cape Government, we remain opposed to a short-sighted policing policy changes which could in practice lead to even worse policing service delivery.

The Western Cape Government is of the strong opinion that, apart from the problems identified around the integration of Metro Police into the South African Police Service (SAPS), the White Paper on Policing falls short on:

  •   the oversight mandate of provincial governments
  •   specialised policing
  •   the role of neighbourhood watch organisations

The White Paper seeks to take the Metro Police Service away from the City of Cape Town, and put under the control of the South African Police Service. We believe that this suggested centralised force is a replica of apartheid policing forces. Policing should in fact be more decentralised, and the Metro Police System should be allowed to operate where it is in working order."