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FT 31 JUL 92 / Political role undermines police force: The feared servants
of the state
By PHILIP GAWITH
THE South African Police force has had a bad week.
It started with a British academic delivering a devastating indictment of
its handling of the Boipatong massacre last month. This was followed by
allegations from a prominent pathologist that the lower ranks of the police
were totally out of control and responsible for 90 per cent of deaths in
custody.
A judicial investigation into the killing of 18 people last year in Mooi
River in Natal then heard details of another grievously deficient police
investigation. To cap it all, renewed allegations of police torture surfaced
in Cape Town and there were two further deaths in police custody.
Seldom can a country's police force have had a more important role to play,
and seldom can its competence to perform this role have been more in
dispute. Yet it is this force that will have to carry the burden of
maintaining order in the week of unprecedented industrial disruption that
lies ahead.
The government has already given notice that it will not allow
demonstrations planned for next week to lead to violence. Earlier this week
it announced it was deploying an extra 5,000 troops in 14 Transvaal
townships, ostensibly to facilitate the repair of infrastructure and
services. Few observers believe, however, that the timing of the deployment
is unrelated to the general strike called by the African National Congress
for next week. The poor image of the police is not something new. Years of
enthusiastic implementation of apartheid laws did terrible damage to their
image in the black community.
Two years ago, though, it appeared a new era had dawned when, in January
1990, President F W de Klerk signalled a fundamental shift in policing
policy. 'We will not use you any longer as instruments to attain political
goals,' he said. 'This is the responsibility of politicians. We will have to
stop asking you to fight in the front trenches in the political battle. Let
the politicians look after the politics.'
The interim may have seen the police relieved of the burden of enforcing
apartheid laws, but they have still played an important role in enforcing
state authority, often between warring political factions. About a third of
the force are engaged in combating violence and unrest.
The death toll in these township clashes is high - more than 13,000 dead
since 1984. An under-reported fact, however, is the high number of police
fatalities. Last year 137 police were killed during execution of their duty
and this year that figure is already more than 120.
Radical elements of black political organisations make no effort to disguise
their hatred of the police. A poster often seen at rallies in recent weeks
has proclaimed 'Kill a cop a day'. These police victims are more likely to
be black than white. About 55 per cent of the 110,000-strong force are
non-white and the most vulnerable of all are the black police living in
townships.
The upper echelons, however, remain overwhelmingly white. The 1992 police
year book reveals an all-white general staff of 53, the vast majority of
whom are Afrikaners. It is difficult to believe these men have the will to
effect fundamental reform.
There have been efforts to change with the times. At the police training
college in Pretoria, where all basic training is done, instructors say they
put increasing emphasis on rendering service. They acknowledge that,
previously, they had allowed a 'them and us' attitude to creep into their
policing. Now the emphasis is on partnership. The police want to be seen not
as a force, but as a service, says commanding officer, Brigadier Lollo van
Vuuren.
As the events of past week show, however, there is a yawning gap between
good intentions in basic training and the grim-faced policeman which many
South Africans have grown to fear.
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POLICE FORCE
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Black 49,268
White 47,675
Coloured 9,344
Asian 4,033
Total: 110,320
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CIVILIAN GUN REGISTRATION
licensed individuals
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1987 140,537
1988 123,465
1989 123,415
1990 215,044
1991 179,241
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Total at end 1991:1.2m licence holders
3.2m licenced firearms
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The Financial Times
London Page 3