Terence takes on the Metro Police
In South Africa, the Municipal Police are the separate police forces maintained by some municipalities. Municipal police forces are responsible for traffic policing and enforcing local bylaws within the municipality, and work in co-operation with the South African Police Service to prevent crime and maintain public order. Municipal police forces exist in a number of major South African cities, including Durban.
Municipal policing in South Africa has a long history. The Durban City Police was created in 1854 to police the city of Durban: the force was headed by a Chief Constable and was modelled on British police forces.
"Municipal police forces" were also established in some cities in the 1980s, during the apartheid era. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, these forces were not highly regarded, and had a reputation for "high levels of excessive and inappropriate use of violence, often arising out of drunken behaviour, ill-discipline and personal vendettas".
The powers and responsibilities of South African municipal police are more restricted than those of the South African Police Service. The three statutory functions of municipal police services are:
- Traffic policing
- Enforcement of municipal bylaws and regulations
- Preventing crime
Municipal police forces do not conduct criminal investigations. Any person arrested by the municipal police on suspicion of having committed a criminal offence must be handed over to a South African Police Service station as soon as possible.
The biggest and most visible role of municipal police forces is traffic control.
Take a listen to the complete podcast here. You will be surprised by some of the things that came out of the interview!