Police services lacking at community level

The Herald Editorial: Police are to be commended for their handling of the Anni Dewani murder. Their quick action, which has led to the arrest in Britain of her husband, showed the world we are not the blood thirsty, ungovernable banana republic we are sometimes portrayed as.

When South African police put their minds to it, and when the international spotlight is on them, they pull out the stops and perform well.

Unfortunately, this passion and enthusiasm does not always filter down to officers at grassroots level. There are cops in many police stations who are barely literate, and do not have either the training or motivation to even take down a statement efficiently.

This situation was highlighted in the Port Elizabeth High Court this week, when Booysen Park resident Freddie Spogter told the court how he had tried to convince police at the Gelvandale police station to assist when he and his female companion were brutally attacked.

Had the police reacted quickly, they could possibly have stopped the woman from being gang-raped by her two attackers – or at the very least they could have intervened and arrested the perpetrators. Instead, Spogter was told they had no vans and could not assist. Then to make matters worse, Spogter saw one of the attackers on a bus a few days after the incident and quickly called police.

Instead of the flurry of assistance he had expected, he was told the investigating officer in the case was on holiday and they could not send anyone out.

The sad tragedy of this incompetence is that a week later, the same two men allegedly attacked another couple, killing the man and brutally gang-raping his girlfriend.

The chances are good that had police acted swiftly in the initial case and apprehended the attackers, the second victim would still be alive today.

Complaints of police incompetence are not new. Many stations are battling to provide adequate service due to staff shortages, lack of infrastructure and resources as well as an unacceptably low skills base.

Another issue hampering service delivery is that authorities are slow to take proper action against wayward officers. Many cops convicted of serious crimes are merely disciplined instead of being dismissed.

And until these issues are addressed, our communities will continue to suffer under a second rate police system.