Independent Complaints Directorate Workshop: ‘Establishing a Cordial Relationship Between the Police, ICD and Civil Society: Problems and Prospects’, Burgers Park Hotel, Pretoria, 6-7 February 2006.
In February 2006 the Independent Complaints Directorate hosted a workshop in Pretoria which brought together representatives from police oversight bodies (ICD), policy mechanisms (Secretariats for Safety and Security), the police agencies (SAPS, municipal police), research organisations and NGOs.  The forty or so delegates convened to examine the current state of working relations between the police, oversight mechanisms and civil society with the view to developing strategies to build cordiality and strengthen co-operative networks.  In his welcome address, Minster for Safety and Security, Mr Charles Nqakula reiterated the importance of oversight and accountability of security agencies, congratulating the ICD in its work thus far, and then went on to discuss the right to self-protection of officers exposed to violence in the course of fulfilling their duties. 

Overall the one- and-a half-day deliberations were characterised by a spirit of critical enquiry and reflection. The need for establishing a synergy between external mechanisms of oversight and monitoring and internal SAPS investigative systems, argued David Bruce of CSVR, was necessary if the ICD was to be more selective about the cases it investigates. In his view resource and other constraints made it imperative that the ICD became much more selective as failure to do so would impact negatively on the effectiveness and efficiency of ICD investigations.  This theme of a more prudent division of investigative labour between external and internal bodies was further elaborated upon by Themba Masuku of CSVR.  In her presentation, Julie Berg (Institute of Criminology, UCT) considered the need for widening the debate on, and strategies for, entrenching accountability in a context where the security field has become populated by a wide range of policing agencies.  It is against this background that the need for overarching structures of governance and monitoring arose which can bind all policing agencies (state or market-based or located within communities) to a common set of rules for accountability.

Discussions from the floor as well as in small group contexts emphasised the need for:
a) (Re-)clarification of  the mandates for each of the accountability mechanisms so as to address overlap and gaps;
b) Addressing adversarial tensions and streamlining the communication links between agencies; and,
c)  Active management of the relationship between mechanisms.
Discussions were held on the appointment of a small task team (to be led by the ICD) to develop and enact a concrete set of proposals which can attend to the abovementioned issues.  Those interested in the fortunes of democratic policing in South Africa will be pleased to note that the ICD workshop succeeded in putting a wide range of relevant issues on the table. It remains to be seen how the ideas which were generated will be put into practice in the near future.  
Elrena van der Spuy. Institute of Criminology, UCT.        

IACP Sub-Saharan Executive Policing Conference 2006
The IACP Sub-Saharan Executive Policing Conference is scheduled from 26-28 March, in Durban, South Africa. The theme of the conference is "Policing Challenges in a Democracy."  
View details >>>>

The 6th Biennial International Criminal Justice Conference. Policing in Central and Eastern Europe. Past, Present and Futures
Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor, Slovenia, is pleased to announce the Sixth Biennial International Conference “Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Past, Present and Futures” to be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 21-23, 2006.  
View details >>>>

Bruce, David. 2006.
Staggering under the burden, ICD policies on the receipt of complaints and on investigations and their negative impact on the ICD, on public confidence, and on police discipline.
This is an edited version of a discussion paper initially presented at the Independent Complaints Directorate workshop on "Establishing a cordial relationship between the police, ICD and civil society: problems and prospects", Burgers Park Hotel, Pretoria, 6-7 February 2006
View Online >>>       

AfriMAP and Open Society Foundation for South Africa, Open Society Institute. 2006.
South Africa Justice Sector and the Rule of Law
This report is the first in AfriMAP's series to be published and highlights both successes and failures of the South African justice system. The report recognises that the government, in place since 1994, has made major achievements in transforming the justice sector from an apartheid institution into one that measures up to international standards. Racist laws have been repealed, the legal aid system has been extended, and major efforts have been made to reform the criminal justice system. However, serious challenges remain. In the criminal justice field, police abuse is still found and prison overcrowding is endemic, with negative consequences for any chance of rehabilitation. Access to justice is hampered by the high cost of lawyers, and provincial governments have failed to respect repeated court orders. In many areas, implementation of new laws and policies has not matched aspirations on paper. The report is broadly positive about South Africa’s commitment to independence of the judiciary, while recognising a need for continued vigilance to ensure it remains. 
View Online >>>>

 Security Sector Reform in the Congo. Africa Report N°104 – 13 February 2006
"Security Sector Reform in the Congo, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, details the struggle to rebuild the military and police in the country, which has been ravaged for more than a decade by wars and instability that have cost some four million lives. The report highlights where efforts have been successful and where they lag, with special attention to the European Union and its member states’ contributions.

Substantial sums are going to support the election process without enough being spent on reforming the police, responsible for election security but no match for local militias in many areas.

An absolute lack of donor co-ordination has resulted in patchwork reform that largely neglects the countryside. Only a small fraction of donor funding has been dedicated to improving the armed forces and police. While it is understandable that many donors are reluctant to engage with what have often been unsavoury elements, these forces are critical for stability". (extracts from press release) 
View Online >>>>

Cop shooting on Umlazi crowd to be probed 
Independent Online. www.iol.co.za 03/03/2006
A top level investigation has begun into the killing of one person and wounding of several others when police fired on a crowd during a protest by Umlazi voters over the election of an unpopular ANC councillor in Wednesday's local government elections. The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), the police watchdog body, has begun an intensive investigation surrounding the circumstances that led the police to shoot at the crowd.  View details >>>> 

Dad gets rape-trauma payout 
Liela Magnus, Beeld  16/02/2006
The father of a former Tuks student, who was repeatedly raped by two men next to the N4 toll road, has received about R180 000 from the Minister of Safety and Security for the trauma he went through  View details >>>>  

More money to be spent on visible policing in next three years 
SAPA. Cape Times 16/02/2006
Visible policing will remain a priority over the next three years, with budget allocations to safety and security increasing to R38.5 billion, said Finance Minister Trevor Manuel yesterday.
View details >>>>  

Arrested police officers to reappear in court 
Bua News 14/02/2006
The six Mpumalanga police officers arrested on charges of attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice, will appear again in court on 3 March. View details >>>>

Courts to get boost in staff
www.news24.com 09/02/2006
Cape Town - More court officials are to be appointed in the coming years to deal with rising case numbers arising from an increase in police appointments, said Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula on Thursday.  View details >>>>     

Angola:

National Police Warns Security Firms
Angola Press Agency (Luanda) 01/02/2006
The General Police Command warned this Wednesay, in Luanda, that measures will be taken against private security companies which persist to carry out their duties without abiding by what is prescribed in the Law number 19/92 of July 31, which delimitates their activities. According to a press note, made available to ANGOP, the National Management of Public Order refers that it has been registered several irregularities committed by the firms, such as being accomplices to robberies and thefts in the establishments they are supposed to protect.
View details >>>>

 
Kenya:

Kenya called on to stop media terrorism   
Independent Online www.iol.co.za 03/03/2006
The African Editors' Forum (TAEF) has called on Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his government to stop terrorising Kenyan journalists.  It said Thursday morning's raid on The Standard newspaper in Nairobi by armed and masked police had shocked editors throughout Africa.
View details >>>>  

Security Minister moved in corruption purge 
Nixon Ng’ang’a. East Standard 13/02/2006
President Kibaki yesterday demoted National Security Minister Chris Murungaru, sacked Internal Security Permanent Secretary Dave Mwangi and reorganised the Government in a bid to quiet a public outcry over corruption in his administration. View details >>>> 

 
Mozambique:  

Police Disperse Striking Security Guards 
Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo). http://allafrica.com 08/02/2006
The Mozambican riot police on Tuesday violently dispersed a protest in Maputo by about 150 employees of the Delta private security company, who have gone on strike to demand improved working conditions.  View details >>>>

Nigeria:

Police Strike, Illegal-Senate Minority Whip  
Habeeb I. Pindiga. Daily Trust (Abuja). http://allafrica.com 07/02/2006
Senate minority whip, Senator Mohammed Abba Aji, yesterday in Abuja urged police personnel not to go on strike as they would be committing an illegality. Police personnel, under the aegis of the Nigeria Police Union (NPU) had issued a strike warning, alleging poor service conditions.
View details >>>>

Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe police arrest 43 on Mugabe's birthday  
SAPA. Mail & Guardian online. www.mg.co.za 22/02/2006
Police in the Zimbabwean capital Harare arrested 43 demonstrators who tried to march to President Robert Mugabe's offices on his birthday to demand a new Constitution, local reports said. View details >>>>