Details of Khayelitsha policing woes revealed

11 November 2012 - 13:10 By Sapa
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SAPS vehicle. File photo.
SAPS vehicle. File photo.
Image: Reuben Goldberg

A large number of police officers at three police stations in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, are being disciplined for misconduct, according to a police report.

At the Khayelitsha police station 138 officers were disciplined between January and June this year, compared to 291 disciplined during the whole of 2011, City Press reported on Sunday.

In 2011 a total of 205 officers were disciplined at the Harare police station, which had a staff complement of 195, indicating some of the officers were repeat offenders.

Seventy-six officers at the Harare police station, and 107 at Lingelethu West, were disciplined during the first six months of 2012.

The figures are contained in a report drawn up by a police task team appointed by national police commissioner Riah Phiyega. The report is part of Western Cape police commissioner Arno Lamoer’s affidavit in a matter due to come before the Western Cape High Court on Monday. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa is challenging Western Cape premier Helen Zille’s establishment of the Khayelitsha commission of inquiry, to investigate the state of policing in the area. Zille did so after NGOs working in Khayelitsha complained that residents no longer trusted the police to keep them safe.

According to the report there had been a dramatic increase in domestic violence complaints against officers at the Khayelitsha police station. A total of 16 were recorded in the first six months of this year, compared to zero during the whole of 2011.

Other findings in the report are that a “large number” of suspects are detained and released without being charged at the Khayelitsha, Harare and Lingelethu West police stations. The police in the area had “questionable” response times, due to poor record-keeping of complaints received.

A total of 78 mob justice murders were recorded at the three police stations between April 2011 and June this year.

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