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| South Africa gets new crime squad | South Africa gets new crime squad |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| South Africa's new serious-crime squad has begun work six months after its FBI-style predecessor was disbanded amid claims of political bias. | South Africa's new serious-crime squad has begun work six months after its FBI-style predecessor was disbanded amid claims of political bias. |
| The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation is intended to take on organised and white-collar crime. | The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation is intended to take on organised and white-collar crime. |
| Its predecessor, known as Scorpions, pursued several senior figures from the ruling ANC, including Jacob Zuma, who became president in May. | Its predecessor, known as Scorpions, pursued several senior figures from the ruling ANC, including Jacob Zuma, who became president in May. |
| The ANC's opponents said the Scorpions' abolition was a political move. | The ANC's opponents said the Scorpions' abolition was a political move. |
| But critics of the elite crime unit said the investigators were too focused on bringing down members of the ANC. | But critics of the elite crime unit said the investigators were too focused on bringing down members of the ANC. |
| And the unit also had notoriously bad relations with the police. | And the unit also had notoriously bad relations with the police. |
| The BBC's Mohammed Allie, in Cape Town, says the new squad should not suffer from similar problems because it will operate under the wing of the police services. | The BBC's Mohammed Allie, in Cape Town, says the new squad should not suffer from similar problems because it will operate under the wing of the police services. |
| He says the relationship between the police and the Scorpions was characterised by jealously and lack of co-operation. | He says the relationship between the police and the Scorpions was characterised by jealously and lack of co-operation. |
| The new unit will, however, include many former members of the Scorpions, he said. | The new unit will, however, include many former members of the Scorpions, he said. |
| It is headed by Anwa Dramat, the relatively unknown former deputy police chief of Western Cape province. |