Members of the public have been asked to come forward with any complaints about the police in the Western Cape. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks
11 March 2020
Western Cape Police Ombudsman Johan Brand has asked members of the public to come forward with any complaints about the SA Police Service, following a complaint that poor service in police stations is causing “secondary trauma” to victims of crime.
On 6 March, the Ombudsman published a notice in the Provincial Gazette asking the public to share personal experiences of incidents.
In a press release, the Ombudsman says SAPS officers are inadequately trained to deal with victims of crime. “The complaint received alludes to allegations that victims experience secondary trauma when they approach the police station, often having to wait for hours, or being forced to speak to police officers in public,” the Ombudsman said.
The complainant, an NGO whose name has not been released, said SAPS officials did not have adequate knowledge on SAPS’s Victim Empowerment Program or National Policy Guidelines For Victim Empowerment.
Ombudsman spokesperson Deidré Foster said that the office had received similar complaints in the past.
“Up until this point, all our investigations were based on individual cases. Since the complaint was by an NGO, we understand that the problem may be far wider, which is why we have invited the entire Western Cape Province to submit comments in respect of our investigation,” said Foster.
The general secretary of the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) Axolile Notywala said these issues had already been investigated during the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into Policing in 2014. Because of this inquiry, the issues that will be reported to the Ombudsman “are issues that the state knows about” he said.
“This is a daily reality for many people, especially in township areas,” said Notywala. “The Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry report is very comprehensive and it’s specific around what needs to be done. Not only with regard to police stations, domestic violence, gender-based violence and sexual assault, but also with regard to how this should be dealt with in the courts.”
The concern for the SJC is primarily whether any of these reported incidents will be acted on, Notywala said.
Minister of Community Safety Albert Fritz welcomed the investigation in a press release on 11 March.
He said he had submitted a Department of Community Safety report on SAPS compliance with the Domestic Violence Act and SAPS National Instructions to the Ombudsman “in support of his investigation into allegations of SAPS’s inability to provide adequate victim support at police stations.”
The closing date for those who want to submit comments about SAPS is 17 April 2020.