Pretoria - The Green Paper on Policing, which aims to position the South African Police Service (SAPS) to respond to the constantly evolving criminal landscape of the country, has been approved by Cabinet, and will be published in the Government Gazette for public comments.
In a statement following their regular fortnightly meeting, Cabinet said the Green Paper responds to the challenges identified following an assessment of the relevance of the 1996 Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) and the 1998 White paper on Safety and Security.
Embedded in these policies, Cabinet said, was the notion of addressing safety and security in a holistic manner through the development and implementation of integrated cross-sectoral programmes for dealing with the broader issues of safety and security.
“Since the establishment of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1994, there have been many changes in the internal and external environment that have impacted on the service’s understanding of and response to issues of crime and safety.
“Post-1994, government was faced with addressing the twin objectives of creating a developmental state, while also transforming the police into an institution of governance,” reads the statement.
The Green Paper deals with “confronting crime in a democratic South Africa, policing in South Africa, mainstreaming police professionalism and institutional arrangements”. - SAnews.gov.za
