The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has welcomed the appointment of a one-person commission, to be headed by Judge Sisi Khampepe, to make recommendations on the future of the Scorpions.
However, it has backed the incorporation of the unit into the South African Police Service (SAPS).
In a statement on Wednesday, Popcru president Zizamele Cebekhulu said: “Our position on this matter is informed by a constitutional imperative that there shall be a single policing authority under one national police commissioner.
“The current fragmented approach to policing is creating a lot of confusion and surely we see duplication of roles by different policing agencies.
“The Scorpions are currently misplaced as they belong with the SAPS. The Scorpions should be a special unit in the police and their incorporation will have a positive impact in improving the image of the entire police service.”
Last week, government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe announced that President Thabo Mbeki had appointed Judge Khampepe of the Witwatersrand Division of the High Court to head a commission that will assess whether the Scorpions should fall under the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, or under the Department of Safety and Security.
The Scorpions — known officially as the directorate of special operations — currently falls under the umbrella of the justice department.
Netshitenzhe said the Cabinet was briefed last Wednesday on the process towards the appointment of the one-person commission on the directorate of special operations.
“The commission will, among other issues, examine the rationale behind the establishment of the directorate, its mandate and relationship with other security and intelligence agencies, how to strengthen integrated efforts against organised crime, and options regarding the appropriate location of the directorate.”
Netshitenzhe expected the work of the commission to be completed in four months. — I-Net Bridge