Police Oversight and Community Safety
It is disturbing to note that the South African Police Service has lost 27 officers in the first three months of 2022:
What is being done to (a) prevent the slaughter of our police officers and (b) safeguard their lives?
[a] SAPS have established Provincial, Cluster and Stations Police Safety Committees in order to manage the risk of possible attacks on police stations and members. Provincial, Cluster and Station Commanders visit on and off duty parades to ensure that all members are operationally ready and fully equipped.
[b] A Police Safety Strategy is in place in the Western Cape is in place to improve police officer safety. The strategy is based on four pillars namely, Proactive Interventions, Reactive Interventions, Redress and Support Interventions and Monitoring and Evaluation.
Proactive interventions focus on the safeguarding of members through:
- Training (tactical and firearm skills].
- Provisioning of safety equipment to members, e.g. bullet resistant vests.
- Facility safety enhancements, e.g. CCTV cameras, fencing and access control.
- Close protection in extreme cases where a member has a threat on their life.
