ANC+wants+integrated+police+force,+Star

=ANC wants integrated police force= =September 22, 2005=

By Moshoeshoe Monare

The scrapping of the Scorpions and metro police in favour of a single police force - with Jackie Selebi in charge - is on the cards.

Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said yesterday the ANC was considering putting all policing under a single command and control structure.

Discussions were taking place at party level and, if endorsed, would be taken to the government to be adopted as policy.

Nqakula said he wanted Commissioner Selebi to be commander of all policing agencies "to minimise tension and improve efficiency".

His comments are a tacit admission that the Directorate of Special Operations - the crime-busting unit dubbed the Scorpions - could well be located within the SA Police Service after all.

The future of the Scorpions is the subject of a commission of inquiry by Judge Sisi Khampepe.

The directorate currently falls under the National Prosecuting Authority, which in turn is controlled by the Department of Justice - but Selebi is among those who want the Scorpions under his command.

Commenting on whether the metro police's focus on traffic offences was a miscalculation of priorities, Nqakula said: "The weaknesses that we see within the metro (police) structures is a weakness that derives from the fact that (Selebi) is not in charge of... every police officer."

Nqakula said he believed that policing problems would be solved by a single force, which would eliminate competition.

Professional jealousy regarding salaries, resources and conditions of service was rife between members of the SAPS, metro police and the Scorpions.

Tensions had culminated in an ugly standoff between the Scorpions and police attached to the VIP Protection Unit during the raid on former deputy president Jacob Zuma's Johannesburg home.

The constitution provided that command and control should be exercised at national and provincial levels and, where appropriate, at local government level.

From: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=128&fArticleId=2886815