Policing in KwaZulu-Natal will come under the spotlight when the Portfolio Committee on Police visits the province to assess the province’s state of policing.
The committee will spend the week in the province, from 31 July to 4 August, where they will visit hotspot police stations including Umlazi Police Station, announced visits to various stations in the Durban area and also assess how the province is handling domestic violence cases.
Committee Chairperson Francois Beukman said the decision to visit the province was, among other things, informed by the fact that the province has an acting police commissioner and the committee would like to see how the person has been able to guide the police in the province to achieve the state of policing espoused in the National Development Plan.
Beukman said the committee will also gauge the province’s ability to provide quality policing services in rural areas.
“More often than not, quality policing services and resource allocation tend to favour urban areas, leaving rural areas disadvantaged. Therefore we want to see how they deal with resource allocation in this regard,” Beukman said.
Furthermore, the committee will seek answers from the provincial leadership of the South African Police Service (SAPS) regarding allegations made against some SAPS members in incidents of politically-motivated violence, which is under scrutiny by the Moerane Commission of Inquiry in KwaZulu-Natal.
“The committee will also probe the allegations of unwillingness by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to investigate the claims against SAPS members during the inquiry,” said Beukman. – SAnews.gov.za
