Watchdogs object to new SAPS media policy

"Centralisation of information is undemocratic as it hinders and restricts free information to local communities over an important issue that affects them directly, namely crime," said Karin Espag, FCJ chairperson.

The FCJ is an independent media organisation that claims to represent over 450 registered community journalists and over 500 community newspapers - a national readership of over two million readers weekly.

Inherently obstructive

"Centralised communication at provincial level is inherently obstructive and therefore slow due to the magnitude of its bureaucracy, whereas communication at local level between residents and the local police station is more rapid, interpersonal and therefore more effective," Espag emphasised.

The FCJ strongly urged that the provisions of the restructuring and centralisation of the police communication with the media be set aside in the interests of press freedom, community safety, crime awareness and crime prevention.

Early last week, the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) issued a statement, expressing the same concerns and requesting an urgent meeting with the SAPS hierarchy to discuss what many media organisations believe as a 'technical' way of gagging the media.

Revoked

But National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi moved quickly to dispel the fear that the information will be centralised at provincial level. "Whatever it was, that is revoked," Selebi was quoted as saying in The Citizen newspaper after meeting with a SANEF delegation last week Friday, 19 January 2007.

According to The Citizen, the police's communication processes with the public had been found to be "too weak", and that the aim was to strengthen it through the media. Therefore, Selebi set out in detail to the editors his plans for the service to decentralise, and devolve police media communications down to the level of all 1136 stations in the country.

The so-called restructuring plan will include training police spokespersons in collaboration with media houses, with the aim of equipping them with 'necessary' skills to enable them to communicate 'effectively and efficiently'.

"But this will take some time. We do not have enough trained communicators to have somebody at each police station yet," Selebi said.