Pretoria - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Tuesday approved a policy, aimed at ensuring police manage public protests better.
The policy provides a framework and guidelines for SAPS in policing public protests and introduces stringent measures when it comes to use of force during public gatherings and protests.
"The policy and guidelines must guide the SAPS in developing appropriate, effective operational strategies and systems in the policing of public protests which must restore and enhance confidence of the communities," Mthethwa said.
Presenting the policy in Parliament, Secretary for Police Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane said that the policy had to ensure that the policing approach took into consideration the rights of citizens.
The policy also had to ensure that tensions between the police and community were not heightened during protests, as these tensions could spill over and remain after protests, she added.
Irish-Qhobosheane noted that one of the challenges was that police were drawn away from normal policing in order to deal with protests.
As part of the recommendations, the policy calls for an establishment of a dedicated National Public Order Policing (POPs) Unit within SAPS.
This unit was established in 1996 but was part of SAPS restructuring process in recent years.
The policy now directs the National Police Commissioner to ensure that sufficient capacity is created and that the unit is appropriately resourced.
Better training was also needed in crowd management and control, and it was noted that basic and refresher training for police needed to include courses on human and constitutional rights, as well as scientific techniques and best practices within the public protest environment.
The effective response of police in a protest situation depended on a strong line of command and control, with everyone involved aware of the role they had to play, the Minister said.
"SAPS Commanders must have negotiation skills and be able to use these skills during gatherings. In the case of a planned gathering, the commanders must be able to negotiate with the organizers of the gathering, or the person nominated for this purpose, as and when required or necessary. In the event of an unplanned gathering, commanding officers must be able to identify key leaders from the group with whom they can negotiate," he added.
To ensure that police respond effectively, each province will have to develop contingency plans at police station level or at least cluster level to provide minimum guidance to respond should they need to deal with a public protest.
Apart from cordoning off and restricting areas during protests to minimise damage, SAPS also needed to focus on preventing provocation; targeting the "leaders of the pack" for later interrogation and should ensure that every protest is video recorded, the Minister said.
