Here's how you can rate SA police stations and report misconduct with this online tool

12 March 2021 - 07:41 By unathi nkanjeni
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Corruption Watch has launched an online tool to help curb corruption and misconduct within the SA Police Service (SAPS).
Corruption Watch has launched an online tool to help curb corruption and misconduct within the SA Police Service (SAPS).
Image: 123RF/Fernando Gregory Milan

Non-profit organisation, Corruption Watch, has launched an online tool to curb corruption and misconduct within the SA Police Service (SAPS).

Veza, which loosely translates to reveal or expose, was introduced by the organisation in response to the whistle-blower complaints it has received from citizens on police corruption.

According to the organisation, it was inspired by its engagements with communities that experienced police violence and abuse.

The tool is the first of its kind in SA and is aimed at improving transparency in policing, by giving the public the power to hold the SAPS accountable.

Corruption Watch said the advantage of the tool is its ability to equip a wide range of people with the knowledge and insight to demand better and more accountable policing.

“Since Corruption Watch’s inception in 2012, innovation has always been central to our approach in addressing systemic and pervasive corruption in SA,” said the head of stakeholder relations and campaigns at Corruption Watch, Kavisha Pillay.

“The launch of the Veza tool signifies a new era for Corruption Watch, as we explore how transparency, big data and accessible technology can be used to combat corruption and advance broader social justice issues,” she added.

The tool provides information at national, provincial and district level. It features interactive maps of police corruption trends and hotspots, information relating to the public’s rights when encountering the police in various situations, and data on all 1,150 police stations across the country, such as locations, resources, budget and personnel.

The online tool enables users to rate and review police stations based on personal experiences, to compare resources of up to four stations, to commend honest and ethical police officers, and to report incidents of corruption and police misconduct that are immediately geolocated through the tool.

At the time of writing, 50 cases of alleged corruption had been posted, including 18 incidents of alleged bribery, 12 alleged incidents of abuse of power and 20 incidents of alleged dereliction of duty.

Police stations in Johannesburg had the most complaints with 32 cases, followed by Cape Town with eight reports and Durban which had five cases reported.

“The collection and verification of data is an ongoing process, and the team is continually working to address the current gaps in information from specific provinces, districts and individual police stations by applying pressure to the necessary bodies to disclose the relevant information, which is in the public interest,” said Crime Watch.


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