6 days ago
Giving cops licence to kill isn't the answer: incoming acting minister Cachalia
Giving the police a licence to kill is not the answer to crime, says incoming acting police minister Firoz Cachalia, who will take up the job on August 1.
In an interview at his home in Johannesburg with Sunday Times deputy editor Mike Siluma, Cachalia said tough talk does not reduce crime and may worsen it.
'We've had ministers and national commissioners who appear to think the problem can be solved through tough rhetoric. Strong language and firmness must be communicated to the public but I do not believe that skop, skiet en donner brings down crime. What it does is criminalise the police because they then start acting unlawfully.'
Cachalia said police must be equipped, trained and empowered to use force but only within the bounds of the law.
'Shoot to kill — giving the police a licence to murder is not the answer [to reduce crime]. The police have to be well protected, well trained to use force, but they must be able to use force within the limits of the law.'
Tackling violent and organised crime requires professional detective work, not political slogans.
'When you have highly trained detectives, with good [solid] information and intelligence — that's the way to deal with syndicates. If you want to deal with organised crime you need your smartest people, your most capable people who know how to carry out these investigations, see the patterns. I believe in professional and effective policing.'
Cachalia takes up the post amid instability in the police ministry after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged police minister Senzo Mchunu and senior police officers interfered in investigations. Mkhwanazi also claimed to have evidence of police involvement in high-profile crime syndicates.
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