Open AccessFREEING THE HAWKS: Why an anti-corruption agency should not be in the SAPS
Author(s) -
Irvin Kinnes,
Gareth Newham
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
sa crime quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2413-3108
pISSN - 1991-3877
DOI - 10.17159/2413-3108/2012/v0i39a846
Subject(s) - agency (philosophy) , unit (ring theory) , language change , law , political science , constitutional court , law and economics , sociology , constitution , psychology , philosophy , social science , mathematics education , linguistics
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the ‘Hawks’, is currently at a crossroads. The Constitutional Court judgment in Glenister vs the President of South Africa and Others has called into question the Directorate’s continued existence in its current form. One of the most important questions raised by the Constitutional Court judgment is whether the DPCI can be sufficiently independent while located within the SAPS. This article presents arguments in support of the view that separating the unit from the SAPS is essential to build public confidence in the unit and to meet the requirements of the judgment.