MPs berate police for ignoring watchdog

Members of Parliament have had to step in to quell the "cold war" between the SAPS and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.

The directorate investigates complaints of police misconduct and gives recommendations with which the SAPS must comply within 30 days.

Legislation demands that the SAPS must inform the police minister and provide proof that disciplinary cases have been concluded to the executive director of the directorate.

But the directorate told MPs the police reported back on less than 5% of the cases in which it made recommendations last year, and in just 15% of cases in 2012.

The police's annual report states that they received 764 disciplinary recommendations from the directorate, of which 645 had been implemented within 30 days. The Ipid report stated it sent 884 recommendations.

But the directorate's acting chief director for investigations, Matthews Sesoko, said documentary proof of recommendations being implemented was almost non-existent. He said Ipid had received only 38 full reports from the police for its 2013/14 recommendations.

Deputy national commissioner for Corporate Services at the SAPS, Lieutenant General Nobubele Mbekela, said that "documentary proof has never been a requirement".

Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald said the police's lack of compliance was "unacceptable". "Is it the task of this committee to tell the police that nothing is done before the paperwork is done?" he said.

The IFP's Albert Mncwango said that it was clear "there is a cold war going on".

Committee chair Francois Beukman said "it's clear we need better co-ordination".

Beukman insisted Ipid executive director, Robert McBride, who was not at the meeting yesterday, appear in January along with national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega.

DA's Dianne Kohler Barnard said McBride's absence, apparently to attend a strategic planning session, showed " contempt for the process".