Several publications on Tuesday expressed fears that the current restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) will severely limit the media's ability to access information.
Up until the restructuring started, media outlets approached designated police officers at area level. However, with the elimination of the area level, media organisations have been told to contact designated officers at a provincial level.
Regi Khumalo, news editor of the Witness newspaper in Pietermaritzburg, said his newspaper had had "no official confirmation" of the restructuring or clarity on how it would affect the media's ability to access information.
"Indications are that things are going to be centralised. With 183 police stations in the province and 45 in the Midlands alone, how are they [at a provincial level] going to cope?
"My fear is that they are going to be more reactive than proactive. Already there is a ban on crime statistics. My greatest fear is that this will lead to a media blackout. It will add to our ignorance of what is really happening in our backyard. The worry is that this is going to make it difficult for us to access information, by hampering our watchdog mandate."
Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.