Cape Town – The official opposition has warned that it will fight all attempts by the government to centralise metro police and municipal law enforcement.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said on Saturday they want to create a crime-free environment and protect communities.
However, they will not allow the government to centralise metro police and law enforcement in municipalities.
The DA has also been advocating for the devolution of police powers to provinces.
In a recent debate in the National Council of Provinces, DA members said devolution of policing powers to provincial governments would help in fighting crime.
But Police Minister Bheki Cele dismissed the argument by the DA saying the police were better managed at national level than giving provinces powers to run the police.
During the launch of the DA’s manifesto on Saturday Steenhuisen said policing was an important function and they would resist attempts to centralise control of the metro police and municipal law enforcement.
“We want all South Africans to feel safe and free in their own neighbourhoods or out on their farms, and we will help protect them and take their streets back from the criminals,” he said.
“Ultimately our goal is to devolve much of the policing functions from national government to competent metros and municipalities, and we will fight the national government’s attempts to bring all Metro Police Departments and municipal law enforcement into one centralised police service. We will take this fight all the way to the Constitutional Court if we must.”
Political Bureau