Action Society fully supports Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’s request to give the City’s police officers full crime-fighting powers, including the ability to investigate crime.
“We have also repeatedly asked for the devolution of powers of the Western Cape police,” said Ian Cameron, director of community safety at Action Society. “It does not make sense to have the power seated nationally. It hinders policing in every possible way.”
Mayor Hill-Lewis sent a formal request to Police Minister Bheki Cele following a recent study found that 48% of SAPS detectives in the Western Cape have a caseload of over 200 dockets per officer. According to Hill-Lewis, this is 333% above the norm. In addition, the shortage of more than 500 SAPS detectives in the province compounds the problem.
“We know of detectives working with more than 300 and 400 cases each,” said Cameron. “With gang violence and shootings increasing in the Western Cape added to these workloads, it is impossible for the police to serve communities effectively.”
