Crime scene contamination by members of the public has put a number of state cases in jeopardy.
This is according to Bedforview SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Mduduzi Nhlabathi.
Sgt Nhlabathi said the behaviour of community members at crime scenes is alarming and needs to be addressed.
“We have a serious challenge with our community when it comes to crime scenes. At times when officers arrive, pictures have already been taken and posted on social media. This harms the case and the same people blame the SAPS when criminals walk,” said Sgt Nhlabathi.
He said as much as community groups are good for keeping residents in the know about lookouts and incidents in the area, they can potentially jeopardise a case.
“At times we find residents have already taken and distributed photos of victims and suspects. We are continuously pleading with our people to respect scenes of crime and trust on-scene investigators to gather evidence,” said Sgt Nhlabathi.
He said people need to be responsible when at a crime scene.
“Ideally, we would appreciate for people to move away from crime scenes even before they are cordoned off, but if they happen to be there when it happens, don’t take videos or pictures,” he said.
Upon responding to a crime scene recently, the NEWS witnessed a motorist ignoring police tape and driving through a cordoned off area.
Some pedestrians also attempted to walk through the area, claiming it was too far to walk around the block.
