The Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens (GCPWs) have been declared peace officers, meaning they will have the power of arrest and can carry a firearm. Independent policing expert David Bruce has raised concerns about the potential association of the GCPWs with corruption and other abuses of power. The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services announced that for the GCPWs to exercise peace officer powers, they must assume the same legal status as Gauteng provincial traffic officers. Provincial traffic officers currently carry out their duties within the ambit of their peace officer designation, supported by the necessary legal framework.
Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, said these powers were set out in a Government Gazette published in July 2011. However, the 2011 Gazette makes it clear that the GCPWs will have “all the powers conferred on a peace officer in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act” as well as “all the powers conferred on a police official in terms of the CPA”. This gamut of powers is extensive and includes the power of arrest and to carry a firearm. A peace officer must have a certificate of appointment with their name, photograph, ID, and the capacity in which they are appointed.
The Ministry's statement also acknowledged the collaboration and constructive efforts of stakeholders involved in the decision. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi welcomed the decision, saying that this announcement finally clarifies the uncertainty over the status of the Crime Prevention Wardens. He added that the announcement affirms what the province has always said: 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 other law enforcement agencies, ie Gauteng Traffic and local authorities.
However, it is unclear as yet what the decision to place the GCPWs under the traffic department, and not the SAPS, means – if anything. Presumably, it means they will no longer be placed at police stations. David Bruce, a respected independent researcher on policing, commented that the effect of the Minister of Justice’s announcement that the Crime Prevention Wardens may be established as peace officers is that they may now exercise all the powers of traffic officers, and most of the powers of police officers.
