DA says police service must be professionalised
The DA believes the State's failure to fight crime is linked to revelations in Parliament - that some senior members in the police force don't have the necessary security clearances.
Acting National Police Commissioner, Lesetja Mothiba confirmed to the Portfolio Committee on Police yesterday that some senior officers have been promoted in the past without clearances being conducted.
Mothiba says this has now stopped.
He says drastic steps will now be taken against top officers who don't attain their clearances by the end of January.
DA Deputy Shadow Minister of Police, Dianne Kohler Barnard says it's telling.
"This all provides a harrowing reflection of a systemic failure in leadership of the police and crime intelligence in our country. It speaks to the deep divisions within the R3.5-billion crime intelligence divisions," she says.
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She says if rules are flouted internally, the police service can't function effectively.
"If the police minister does not tackle this crisis head on, South Africans will never feel safe in their homes or on our streets. The need for the SAPS to be professionalised could not be more dire," she says.
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