Johannesburg - National police commissioner General Riah Phiyega said the police were committed to working with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to find ways to deal with the “paradoxes of managing” the conflict between human rights and law enforcement.
She was speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the SAPS and SAHRC in Joburg.
“It is important that we perform our duties in line with the principles and ethos that are embodied in the constitution.
“And we believe this partnership will help us. It will ensure that we are not a law unto ourselves, but servants of our constituents. We hope this relationship will give us this mutually beneficial relationships,” she added.
The SAPS had launched a process to review its training curriculum for the police to improve public order policing, among others, Phiyega said.
“We are moving closer to the professionalising of the SAPS and we will run a department that walks the talk and the stipulations of our constitution.
“Professionalising and modernising our SAPS is not negotiable,” she said.
SAHRC deputy chairwoman Pregs Govender said the memorandum signified a departure from the apartheid-era militarisation of the SAPS into one of community service.
“This means the police are moving from being the protectors and defenders of the apartheid state and a perpetuation of human rights violations,” Govender said, but at the same time noted the difficulties that both parties might encounter observing the memorandum.
The Star