Lesufi welcomes 'traffic officers' status for Amapanyaza
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has welcomed the clarification of the legal status of the province's Crime Prevention Wardens.
They have been given the same legal status as provincial traffic officers.
Their new status was announced by Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola on Tuesday following a request made by the Gauteng provincial government in June.
Lesufi announced the deployment of 6,000 peace officers in his inaugural State of the Province Address, punting them as a force multiplier for police as part of the crime prevention strategy for Gauteng.
He allocated over R1 billion to the fight against crime, which would include training and the procurement of high-tech equipment and cars for the wardens.
However, Lesufi did so without first getting authorisation from Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola who, under section 334(1)(a) of the Criminal Procedures Act, has the authority to confer peace officer status to any person by their office, to exercise power under the Criminal Procedure Act, any offence, or any designated class of offences.
“We welcome this announcement that finally clarifies the uncertainty over the status of the Crime Prevention Wardens," Lesufi said in a statement on Tuesday.
"This announcement affirms what we have said all along, that the CPWs are a legal, well-equipped provincial law enforcement body that collaborates with other law enforcement organizations in the province.
"They operate under the supervision of the other law enforcement agencies, i.e Gauteng Traffic and local authorities."
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