SA needs 'third force'

2003-10-14 22:45

Erika Gibson

Pretoria - The police are not capable of taking over the role of the commandos from the defence force.

At the same time, the defence force cannot indefinitely maintain certain tasks on behalf of the police. The only solution is to create a "third force" with components of the police and the defence force.

These were the findings of Henri Boshoff of the Institute for Security Studies after a seminar on the future of commandos. The commando system is currently being phased out.

Altogether 2 350 soldiers are at present helping police on a daily basis in the fight against crime. However, this assistance and the current structure of commandos must come to an end within the next six years according to the defence force's medium and long term strategies

President Thabo Mbeki's announcement last year that the commandos must be disbanded to make place of a more representative force, caught the defence force and the police off guard.

The main reason for this was that there was no broad-based consulting on the replacement body before Mbeki made the announcement.

The commandos are supposed to disband when police have enough manpower, equipment and vehicles to take over their responsibilities.

Boshoff said indications are that increased crime in the country will disrupt these plans and that police will simply not be able to cope on their own.

He said breaking up the commandos is not the only reason why a third force is needed. The increase in crimes such as in-transit heists, vehicle hijackings and farm attacks that are executed with military precision, may also be combated by such a semi-military force.

The final result of establishing such a force will be that the defence force will have more than 2 000 soldiers available to assist in its core responsibilities, while it will enable the police to focus on ordinary crime.

The same goes for border control, which falls within the ambit of the department of foreign affairs in other countries, but which has to be handled by police and the defence force in South Africa.

Boshoff said a paramilitary force has been a given in most developed countries for decades. South Africa would therefore only benefit from such a force.

- Beeld