Criminal police continue to serve
JOBURG – Some South Africans fear the police as Gauteng police members with criminal records continue to serve the country.
Political parties and independent organisations have expressed their concern on the 271 convicted South African Police Services (SAPS) members in Gauteng who retain their positions, despite having been convicted of committing criminal offences.
According to DA Gauteng spokesperson on community safety Michele Clarke, 248 of the 271 have been convicted of committing serious crimes.
“Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, in his State of the Province Address indicated that he would take a tough stance on crime and rebuilding confidence in the SAPS. It is hard to imagine how this will be achieved when there are convicted criminals within the ranks of the SAPS,” said Clarke.
The South African Institute for Race Relations (SAIRR) released a report on 28 February, titled Broken Blue Line 2, which describes a corrupt, brutal police force that citizens have reason to fear. It cites dozens of officers charged with murder, armed robberies, bribe taking and sexual assaults. In relation the latter, there were even several reported cases of police officers detaining women in order to rape them.
The report concluded that “confidence in the police is so low that you no longer can trust the person you report a crime to. They might be a criminal as well. “Women who drive alone in the evening have a reason to fear if they see blue lights in the rear view mirror…”
According to Clarke, “Closer scrutiny and background checks should be done to ensure that the good guys in blue are not tarnished by nefarious characters.”
According to AfriForum head of community safety Ian Cameron, there are a massive number of police criminals in the country.
“About one in a hundred operational police in the country have a criminal record. In a report we released last month, it is indicated that out of 1 400 SAPS members with criminal records about 80 per cent of their records are for serious crimes,” he said.
According to Cameron, numerous steps ought to be taken to ensure the problem is resolved.
“Firstly, political interference in these matters should be stopped. For example, every time there is an investigation on President Zuma, the investigator gets fired or suspended or something happens to hinder the case from proceeding. We also need competent police leaders… and an independent body that investigates police and abide by the law to its full extent.”
