Police inefficiencies have reportedly resulted in another 63 cases being struck off Western Cape court rolls during the first quarter of the current financial year.
Also read: 283 cases have been struck off Western Cape court rolls
Reagen Allen, the province’s MEC for police oversight and community safety, says 25 (41.3%) of these cases were gender-based violence (GBV) cases, 20 (31.7%) were assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and 10 (15.8%) were rape cases.
The latest statistics, captured between April and June, were revealed by the Court Watching Brief (CWB) Unit. The unit monitored 21 police stations over this time period. As per News24, the CWB is an initiative of the Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety aimed at identifying inefficiencies in the judicial system.
‘It is of utmost importance that we have a police service that consistently delivers professional work. All persons should experience the same quality of service from SAPS [the SA Police Service], regardless of who they are or where they come from.
‘It has to be seen that justice is served and that no secondary victimisation occurs. Many of our residents experience trauma, and the one service that should not [be] added to it is the SAPS.’
In addition, the CWB found that Kraaifontein Police Station had eight cases struck off the roll – the highest number. These included GBV cases.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says it is very concerning that cases surrounding serious offences are not being dealt with properly in some courts, and notes the immense strain that police officers are under. ‘It is clear there are simply not enough police officers deployed to the Western Cape to make a meaningful enough impact on crime levels.’
In turn, Alan argued for the devolution of police powers due to the findings, which were released after the province’s most brutal week of the year. More than 130 people were killed during the last week of September. This includes the murder of two police officers and mass shootings in areas such as Gugulethu and Ravensmead.
Police minister Bheki Cele noted that the time that police were however making inroads in curbing crime, stating that Operation Shanela resulted in 970 arrests in connection with murder since April. Furthermore, more than 940 people were arrested in connection with attempted murder.
‘From April to date, there have been 13 incidents of kidnapping for ransom. Seven of the cases have been solved through the arrest of 28 suspects. Three vehicles have been recovered while two people were convicted to life behind bars for kidnapping.’
Also read:
Hundreds of WC court cases struck off the roll due to police inefficiencies
