Cape Town - The DA on Tuesday repeated its call for national police commissioner Riah Phiyega to be replaced by someone “up to the task”.
A court ruling that fitness boards of inquiry - set up to probe police officers' misconduct - were without legal force and effect, was “another major blunder” by Phiyega, Democratic Alliance MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Labour Court in Port Elizabeth ruled on Wednesday that the fitness boards were unlawful.
The boards were established by Phiyega in August last year, following an audit that revealed 1448 serving SA Police Service officers had criminal records.
More than 1000 of the officers were set to be dismissed, before the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union lodged an application with the court.
The court ruled that the national commissioner's powers did not include the power to convene fitness boards.
Kohler-Barnard said hundreds of “questionable cops” would now continue to serve with the SAPS.
“This revelation has set an unfortunate precedent that will undoubtedly delay the decriminalisation and restoration of credibility to our national police service.”
She called on Phiyega to “urgently clean up her latest mess by re-establishing the boards of inquiry under the correct provisions of the SAPS disciplinary regulations”.
With each passing scandal, it became clear that the national police commissioner “is not up to the task”.
It was time to “put the quality of our policing first, and get the best possible police commissioner into the position as soon as possible”.
Sapa