By Ragheema Mclean
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais have formally launched the Lawyers in Police Stations Project, aimed at strengthening the quality of police investigations and docket preparation.
The initiative is a partnership between the Western Cape Government, the South African Police Service and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.
Under the project, lawyers will be stationed at selected police stations to provide officers with technical support and mentoring on matters such as drafting statements, gathering evidence and preparing dockets.
Premier Winde’s spokesperson, Regan Thaw, says the initiative recognises that effective policing starts at station level.
“Plans are in progress for further expansion in the Western Cape, including the Stellenbosch Policing Precinct, covering Stellenbosch Central, Kayamandi and Cloetesville, as well as other national locations,” Thaw said.
The project will see a lawyer placed at a police station on a full-time basis for three years, providing ongoing mentoring and capacity-building support to station personnel.
Thaw stressed that the lawyers will not take over police functions or interfere with investigations, but will instead help improve the technical skills of officers and the overall quality of policing.
“The overall objective is not to take over or interfere in police functions, but to strengthen the technical capacity and skills of station personnel and improve the quality of policing,” he said.
Photo: VOCfm
