DA up in arms over policing

The DA has criticised the recently released green paper on policing because the party's contributions to the debate were not taken into consideration.

The party said the paper's implementation would require a change to the constitution. But Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa's spokesman, Zweli Mnisi, has accused the DA of "grandstanding" to score political points.

DA spokesman on policing Diane Kohler Barnard said the green paper was "substandard" and was all conjecture.

"It reads more like a history book than a well-researched crime-fighting plan for the police," Kohler Barnard said.

She said her party objected to the retention of military ranks in the police and the exclusion of specialised units.

The DA also objected to the proposed formation of a single police service because it would ignore a provision of the constitution that allowed the establishment of metro police services.

She said the paper failed to spell out how a national police commissioner should be appointed.

Kohler Barnard said the paper did not set out concrete steps for dealing with police corruption and misconduct.

Western Cape community safety MEC Dan Plato said: "The paper completely ignores section 206 [of the constitution] and we will oppose any attempt to disband the metro police," he said.

Cape Town's member of the mayoral committee for safety and security, JP Smith, said the city had commented "comprehensively" on the drafting of the green paper but very few - "if any" - of its recommendations were reflected in the document.

Police spokesman Mnisi said public participation in reforming policing had not been completed.

He said the bill would not be "rushed through" parliament and denied DA suggestions that it would be passed before the end of this year's parliamentary sitting in December.