Screenshot from the video (Video: JP Smith / Facebook)
Members of the US Marine Corps recently participated in a training exercise with Cape Town’s Metropolitan Police on Muizenberg Beach as part of international cooperation.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said on social media that the session focused mainly on physical training and that it forms part of ongoing collaboration with international players.
“We regularly accept assistance from international police agencies who support us in our endeavor to build South Africa’s most reliable municipal police service,” explains Smith. “From specialized training in cybercrime, kidnapping, poaching and drug cases to investigative techniques – we are constantly trying to raise the bar. This time, the US Marines joined our Metro Police Cadets and took them through their ‘standard fitness routine.’
“Fitness is a culture that we have established within our directorate and that we strongly encourage among our members.”
In response to comments on his post, Smith confirmed that the training did not entail any costs for the city and that the session took place within the framework of international cooperation.
Not everyone is equally convinced
However, the Good party expressed concern about the legal and administrative framework of this cooperation.
Jonathan Cupido, Good councilor in Cape Town, says municipal policing is regulated by national legislation and that training standards are determined by the national police commissioner.
“The city does not have the authority to improvise training arrangements outside of that framework,” he said.
According to him, the city’s reference to broader cooperation, including hotspots such as cybercrime, kidnapping and drug cases, raises further questions about the extent of the involvement.
He says the city must provide clarity on, among other things, the legal basis of the training, whether it was approved by the national police commissioner and whether it was strictly limited to physical activities.
Cupido also warns that the involvement of a foreign military force in municipal policing can blur the line between military and civilian structures.