Johannesburg - National police commissioner Riah Phiyega met a delegation of the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) this week, the police said on Friday.
The meeting on Thursday followed a request by Sanef to discuss issues of mutual concern.
These included police-media relations on the ground, availability and or non-availability of communicators, as well as interaction between police and journalists at crime scenes.
The meeting agreed that a committee, comprising senior police and Sanef members, would be established to continue talks on ways to improve police-media relations.
The committee would also be responsible for drawing up a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between police and Sanef.
Phiyega said: “Our duty is to serve and protect our communities. We recognise that we must therefore regularly account to the public about how we go about policing in partnership with communities.”
She welcomed the process of re-establishing cordial, professional and mutually beneficial relations between Sanef and the police.
Sanef chairman Mpumelelo Mkhabela said: “The meeting was fruitful and a firm foundation has been laid for building better working relations between the police and media.”
Sapa