Premier Alan Winde and the provincial minister for police oversight and community safety, Reagen Allen, disclosed a report detailing the Court Watching Brief Unit’s (CWB) statistics for the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year. A concern was raised regarding the number of cases that had been removed from Western Cape court proceedings.
The CWB, an initiative of the Western Cape’s Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety, plays a pivotal role in reinforcing the department’s supervisory capacities and pinpointing areas of inefficiency within the justice system.
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During this quarter, the CWB kept a close watch on eight courts associated with 21 priority police stations, chosen based on the frequency and gravity of crimes reported in their jurisdictions. The monitored courts included Khayelitsha, Blue Downs, Philippi, Mitchells Plain, Wynberg, Kuils River, Bellville and Athlone.
Notably, Kraaifontein Police Station recorded the highest number of cases removed from court proceedings, several of which pertained to gender-based violence (GBV). The primary reasons for these removals were attributed to:
- Delays by the investigating officer in completing investigations in a timely manner
- Missing police dockets in court
- Failure to present the accused in court
Premier Winde expressed his alarm, particularly regarding serious crimes like GBV not receiving adequate judicial attention.
He remarked, ‘I am also aware of the immense strain our 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.’
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Winde continued, highlighting the recent launch of the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), developed in tandem with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other law agencies.
‘Our approach to fighting crime must be data- and evidence-driven. However, we are also addressing the root causes of crime, namely unemployment. Much like the Western Cape Safety Plan, our Growth for Jobs strategy is also rooted in and guided by data and evidence.’
In the 2021/22 financial year, South African SAPS stations ideally required 193 476 officers, but only 105 935 officers are currently active. The Western Cape’s sanctioned strength is 21 367, though in 2020/21 it was only 19 505.
For the current financial year’s first quarter, 63 cases cited police inefficiencies. A breakdown shows 26 cases of GBV (41.3%), 20 cases of assault (31.7%), 10 cases of rape (15.8%), seven of protection order violations (11%), six of aggravated robbery (9.5%), five of attempted murder (7.9%) and four of illegal firearm possession (6.3%).
Minister Allen stressed the importance of a consistently efficient police service.
He said, ‘It is of utmost importance that we have a police service that consistently delivers professional work. All people should experience the same quality of service from SAPS, 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.’
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Allen further emphasised the need for a shift in SAPS management to more competent governments: ‘We are already demonstrating through LEAP how we are strengthening SAPS’ hand, and once SAPS is under our management, we will ensure that our stations and detective services are capacitated, so that these types of matters are effectively dealt with.’
Premier Winde concluded, stating the CWB’s ultimate objective is to promote a police force that is proficient, impactful and streamlined.
‘We want to strengthen our relationship with the SAPS and help our women and men in blue wherever we can to make our province a safe and prosperous one.’
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