Legislation aimed at replacing the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) with a new strengthened entity has been tabled in Parliament.

This is in line with the Constitution, which provides for an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to be established to investigate allegations of misconduct or offences committed by a member of the police service.

In terms of the draft Independent Police Investigative Directorate Bill, the IPID will be independent from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and report directly to the Police Minister.

The directorate will ensure independent oversight of the SAPS and municipal police services.

The current ICD is established in terms of the SAPS Act, which pre-dates the Constitution.

The bill seeks to also change the name of the current ICD to the directorate.

The rationale behind the name change is to brand the directorate as a body that functions independently from the police service and that its focus is to conduct investigations of offences by police members, rather than merely receiving complaints.

The thrust of the directorate's work, in the process of conducting investigations, is to address systemic problems within the police service with a view to recommending appropriate interventions.

The directorate's work is expected to contribute towards ensuring that the police service becomes a professional service operating within the spirit of the constitutional norms.

The bill provides, among other things, for the establishment of an independent, impartial and accountable directorate, with a national office and provincial offices, and for the appointment and responsibilities of the executive director and provincial heads.

Criminal penalties are provided to ensure there is no interference with, or obstruction to, the directorate's work and that information is protected and not abused.