Portfolio Committee on Police Recommends Skills Audit for Senior SAPS Members

• The Portfolio Committee on Police has called for a skills audit for top members of the South African Police Service
• Portfolio chairperson Ian Cameron said that the SAPS top structure's effectiveness is intangible
• Cameron spoke to Briefly News about the recommendations the committee made
• The Committee also recommended lifestyle audits to be done on SAPS management to ensure accountability

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, Parliament and Parliamentary committees, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE—The Portfolio Committee on Police wants the top management structure of the South African Police Service to undergo skills and lifestyle audits to ensure effectiveness.

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SAPS must be audited: Committee

According to IOL, the Committee recommended that the skills of the police's top management structure be audited to ensure that the leadership is competent enough to drive strategic objectives and continuous development. Portfolio Chairperson Ian Cameron said this was important as the leadership must tackle new challenges in crime fighting and policing.

Cameron also said management must undergo a lifestyle audit to be held accountable and above reproach. The force's discipline management system must also be reviewed. The Committee wants SAPS members whose firearms are lost or stolen to face stricter consequences.

Cameron speaks to Briefly News

Speaking to Briefly News, Cameron said the committee recommended that audits be conducted on a station commander level. He also said he had faith in the leadership of the police.

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" I can’t say I have full trust in the leadership, but with that being said, there are also many good people, and those I’ve worked with in the last few months are extremely competent," he said.

He also told Briefly News that the station commander-level audit is necessary because police leadership has had problems with record-keeping in police stations.

"If you want to have ground-level influence, it's important you fix the leadership crisis," he pointed out.

SA weighs in

South Africans on Facebook discussed the Committee's recommendations.

Wanda Gigaba said:

"They remain silent whilst SAPS has a backlog on grade progression, another aspect that makes members more demoralised."

Edmund Abraham Johnson said:

"Why are you always recommending and adopting policy when it should be effected without delays? Is it to give the corrupt police officials in management enough time to destroy or classify incriminating evidence?"

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Philippe Sydney Lionnet said:

"Some of them can't even spell."

Christopher Reynolds said:

"The Department of Human Settlement did a lifestyle audit. 80% of those audited raised red flags, according to the minister. I wonder what this SAPS lifestyle audit will produce."

Police officers arrested for theft

In a related article, Briefly News reported that three members of the South African Police Service were arrested for theft.

The members stopped a motorist in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, and escorted him to his house. They searched the house and took R180,000 in cash.

Source: Briefly News