The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Act 2 of 2011: Implications for the Policing Powers of the Provincial Governments in South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2522-6800/12766Keywords:
Civilian secretariat, police service, civilian oversight, democratic policing, accountability, provincial governments, police powersAbstract
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides for the establishment of a Civilian Secretariat for Police Service. To give effect to this constitutional imperative, parliament passed the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Act 2 of 2011 in March 2011. This Act enjoins members of the Executive Councils (MECs) to establish provincial secretariats for their respective provinces. This article examines the implications of the Act for the South African provincial governments’ exercise of their policing powers. The article also explores both the current legal and institutional challenges encountered in the establishment of provincial secretariats and those anticipated when the Act is fully implemented at the provincial level. The article argues that the current implementation of the Act, which essentially conflates the civilian secretariat with the provincial departments of community safety, is problematic at many levels.
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References
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Legislation
Kenya
Independent Policing Oversight Authority Act, 35 of 2011.
South Africa
Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Act, 2 of 2011.
Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Regulations, Government Gazette 40414, GN 1389, 11 November 2016.
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
Public Finance Management Act, 1 of 1999.
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Western Cape Community Safety Act, 3 of 2013 (WC).
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Accepted 2023-06-10
Published 2023-07-05
