SAPS stakeholders meeting proposes arrest protocol training
The monthly meeting continues to workshop solutions to the crime in Brakpan.
Brakpan SAPS held its monthly stakeholder meeting last Wednesday at Thabong Wedding and Conference Centre.
Lieutenant Colonel Annalien Naudé headed the meeting because the station commander, Brigadier Fredl Jonck, was unavailable as he had to attend a medal parade.
The crime overview, provided by Lieutenant Colonel Peet van der Schyff, indicated a few crimes increased when compared to the same time last year.
The contact crimes that increased included aggravated robbery, house robbery and rape. The theft of motor vehicles and out-of-motor vehicles and general theft, especially opportunity crimes like the theft of pipes, clothes, bicycles and solar lights also increased.
These crimes have occurred in multiple areas, and there are no identified hotspots. The police reminded stakeholders at the meeting the telephones at the station are not working and that a solution is being workshopped.
The matter on everyone’s minds was cable theft and other forms of tampering with infrastructure. In the previous meeting, the police communicated that these cases are often difficult to convict.
At the most recent meeting, they explained that cases are struck from the court roll because companies or government refuse to claim the infrastructure was tampered with. This essentially means there is no claimant to lay charges against the criminal.
The matter of proper arrest protocols was also raised at the meeting.
They decided the CPF and other community organisations needed training on proper arrest protocol and delivering statements to correctly charge and convict an offender, without loopholes.
Another issue with prosecuting criminals is the backlog of forensic evidence, which can take anywhere from six months to two years to complete.
As a result, drunk drivers, drug users, thieves and rapists go free, because they cannot be detained without evidence. They also often disappear before trials can continue with the processed evidence.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) tries to keep cases on the roll for as long as possible for the forensic evidence to catch up, but often doesn’t succeed because of the ‘right to a speedy trial’.
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There is also a lack of expert witnesses for Brakpan, making cases more difficult to prosecute. The NPA gets a lot of successes, and tampering with essential infrastructure can fetch criminals a 15-year prison sentence.
The NPA has also instructed no witness may withdraw a court case and witnesses that refuse to testify will be held for eight days as a recalcitrant witness.
Illegal mining is still an ongoing problem, and stakeholders continue to have monthly operations to curb the issue.
“It would ideally be weekly operations, but the caseload for the SAPS is too high,” said Naudé.
The ward councillors thanked the SAPS and various stakeholders for their assistance in several matters, especially the protection of technicians during load-shedding when they are at a high risk of being attacked. AfriForum announced a platform where all advanced first responders in the town can register.
They will receive a centrally recognised identification card that can be scanned to verify on the database, allowing SAPS, EMPD, and emergency medical services to instantly identify qualified first responders and allow them on the scene to administer aid.
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The Department of Correctional Services reiterated that their parolees and probationers are available for use in any community service projects.
“We as a society tend to stigmatise rehabilitating offenders. They will re-offend and drain taxpayers’ money if we don’t reintegrate criminals into society by giving them jobs and a place in the community,” said Alice Dlamini from the department.
The department also plans to tackle the cemeteries in the town for cleanup in the future and hopes more stakeholders will come on board.
The Rural Safety Department thanked all stakeholders for the steady decrease in crime in the Withok Estates area.
They are currently focusing their efforts on illegal dumping.
The next meeting will be on August 23.
