JMPD – an overview of responsibilities

There are often public misconceptions about the function and areas of responsibility that the JMPD has.
Below, we give a brief overview of what they can, and more importantly what they cannot do.

The paper spoke to JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla to better understand the department’s roles and responsibilities.

The main role of the police is to protect people and their property, uphold and enforce the law, and prevent and combat crime.

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The JMPD assist the police in preventing crime but from here their roles diverge. By-law enforcement and traffic management make up the other two functions that are important for maintaining public order.

This includes ensuring that public open spaces are safe, such as public parks and public roads. They also manage traffic-related issues such as drunk driving, and informal trading and land invasions, and assist the police with manpower during stings and other operations. They are, however, not mandated to conduct criminal investigations, which falls to the police.

In brief, JMPD has three directorates:

• Operations: Members are assigned to a region of the city and deal with crime prevention and traffic management and general by-laws
• Specialised and tactical units: K9 dog teams, tracing for unpaid fines, drunk driving units, freeway patrols, Rea Vaya, special events and transportation. These officers work throughout the city and are deployed where they are needed the most at any particular time.
• By-Laws: Enforcement of all by-laws including informal trading, illegal dumping, and illegal land invasions throughout the city.

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The department has both uniformed and civilian members who engage in visible policing operations in hotspot areas, and quieter corners of the city if residents have laid formal complaints.

Fihla said one of the biggest frustrations they have was fighting the perception that the department was not doing its work adequately.

“We are only able to respond to concerns in communities if we are told there is an issue that needs to be looked at. I ask residents to please lodge complaints with the department so we can log them and attend to them. Mentioning concerns in community WhatsApp groups is not going to make a difference unfortunately, we need to be alerted. This also makes it easier for follow-ups to happen if a situation is not resolved.”

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Public drinking is a topic that is raised often in meetings with CPFs and councillors.

Fihla said, “Drinking in a public park is illegal and we do our best to tackle it as we have been doing successfully at Zoo Lake in Parkview. Officers will attend the scene, confiscate the alcohol and warn transgressors not to repeat the offence. If the person continues to break the by-law, the police can be called to arrest the person and issue a fine.”

Quite often though, JMPD is hamstrung in responding to complaints when the issue requires the assistance of other departments and entities. An example of this is tackling the issue of the sale of alcohol. For this to be carried out, JMPD needs the police, and the Gauteng Liquor Board to join any operations as they are the entity that issues the licences.

The same goes for complaints of noise disturbing the peace and affecting the standard of living that residents are entitled to.

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Fihla said, “If the complaint is in a residential area, our officers can be dispatched and engage with the offender and possibly issue a fine or verbal warning. If it is in an ‘industrial’ area like a nightclub or place of entertainment, the Department of Environmental Health is needed. They can send experts to measure the levels of noise with specialised equipment. Hardware like speakers and other equipment can be seized or a fine issued. This takes time to arrange and organise which is frustrating for the complainants.”

Land invasions are occurring throughout the city and how entities can engage with them is tightly controlled. “If in a public park, for example, there is an informal plastic structure that is not deemed to be permanent, we can remove it. A shack built from galvanised metal sheeting is seen as permanent and may not be removed without a court order for an eviction notice and the co-operation of the Department of Human Settlements and Housing and Department of Community Safety.”

A list of by-laws can be found online at www.joburg.org.za

To log a complaint, call Joburg Connect on 0860 562 874.

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