Concern over late reporting of serious cases
Every crime scene or potential evidence should be treated with respect and you can help preserve a crime scene
Captain Charmaine Struwig
Police spokesperson
Police in the Uthukela Cluster have noted that more and more serious cases are being reported to police several days later. The late reporting of cases, particularly rape and sexual offences, is very concerning. Reporting cases to police immediately allows us the opportunity to collect all available evidence before it may be unknowingly tampered with or destroyed.
Every crime scene or potential evidence should be treated with respect and you can help preserve a crime scene by doing the following:-
• Report the incident immediately – police stations are open 24-hours a day,
Take care of the injured without destroying potential evidence,
• Limit your movement on the crime scene,
• Avoid contact with visible evidence,
• Leave the scene undisturbed,
• Don’t move unnecessarily around the scene to establish what damage or losses were incurred,
• Don’t touch or move any items on the scene,
• Leave the crime scene, but be available for questioning by police,
• Use an alternative route, not the ones used by criminals,
• If possible, lock the premises but be on hand to unlock for police,
• Do not distribute facial images of the suspects unless released by police.
Every person at, or in the vicinity of a crime scene, is a potential witness. Tell police everything you know, no matter how small or insignificant you think your input will be.
Entrust the crime scene you have meticulously preserved to police, because in doing so you have taken the first step in enabling police to identify the criminals, arrest them and bring about their conviction.
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