InSouth Africa, theMunicipal Police (also calledMetro Police) are the police forces maintained by somemunicipalities forlaw enforcement in South Africa. Municipal police forces are distinct from theSouth African Police Service (SAPS), however they work closely with SAPS to prevent crime and maintain public order.
Metro Police are responsible for traffic policing and enforcing localbylaws within their respective jurisdictions, operate using their own allocated budgets, and are managed by local authorities, such as, in the case ofCape Town, the Member of the Executive Council for Safety and Security. Metro Police also work closely with provincial police directorates.
Municipal police forces exist in most of theMetropolitan municipalities in South Africa, including theBuffalo City Metropolitan Municipality,City of Cape Town,City of Johannesburg,City of Tshwane,City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality,eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality andNelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.
Municipal policing in South Africa has a long history. TheCape Peninsula Urban Police were responsible for policing in and around the city of Cape Town between 1652 until its absorption into the national South African Police in 1913.
The Durban Borough Police created in 1854, later to become the Durban City Police, and now the Durban Metro Police, to police the city ofDurban: the force was headed by aChief Constable and was modelled onBritish police forces.[1]
"Municipal police forces" were also established in some cities in the 1980s, during theapartheid era. According to theTruth and Reconciliation Commission, these forces were not highly regarded, and had a reputation for "high levels of excessive and inappropriate use of violence, often arising out of drunken behaviour, ill-discipline and personal vendettas".[1]
As of 2025 there were six metropolitan police departments in South Africa, one for each of country's major metropolitan areas.[2]
Uniquely, Cape Town has a its own a separate, dedicated City Traffic Department as well as a dedicated Law Enforcement Department.[3]
The city's law enforcement department, the Cape Town Metropolitan Police Department, was re-established as a distinct police force from the national level South African Police Service by an act of theWestern Cape Provincial Parliament on 2 November 2001, taking effect on 1 December 2001. It was established to support the operations of the national police service in addition to enforcing municipal by-laws.[4]
By 2012, the force had a number of specialised units including aCCTV camera unit, agang unit, atactical unit, and a drugs unit.[4] By 2019 the force had a total of 519 officers[3] growing to almost 600 officers and 729 total staff by 2023.[5]
Source:[3]
Section 206 of theConstitution of South Africa provides:[6]
National legislation must provide a framework for the establishment, powers, functions and control of municipal police services.
The procedure for establishing a municipal police service is laid down in the South African Police Service Amendment Act of 1998. This Act allows municipalities to apply to the government of the relevantprovince for permission to establish a municipal police service. The provincial MEC of Safety and Security may approve the application, after consultation with the National Commissioner of theSouth African Police Service, if:
The powers and responsibilities of South African municipal police are more restricted than those of theSouth African Police Service. The three statutory functions of municipal police services are:[8]
Municipal police forces do not conduct criminal investigations. Any person arrested by the municipal police on suspicion of having committed a criminal offence must be handed over to aSouth African Police Service station as soon as possible.[8]
The biggest and most visible role of municipal police forces istraffic control. InJohannesburg, the municipal police made headlines when they announced a hunt for a man who was using the social networking site Twitter to warn about police road blocks and speed traps, claiming that the man, known only as "PigSpotter", could be charged with obstructing justice.[9]
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