IN theory, reporting a crime to the police should not add to a victim’s distress, but instead give a sense of seeking justice.
However, the same cannot be said for a battered and bruised, Melissa Reddy who was a victim of domestic abuse recently. Upon trying to open a case against her ex-husband, she experienced additional trauma and frustration at Wentworth Police station when she was unable to get assistance from those who have vowed to protect society.
In an unexpected twist in her efforts to fight back against the continuous abuse, Melissa was left helpless when she did not receive immediate help from the police in her plea for help. This followed a violent altercation between herself and her husband on Thursday night, 11 February, resulting in her husband, armed with a baseball bat, physically assaulting her in their Merebank home.
“When he would hit me, he would target the areas where he knows will affect my ability to teach my dance lessons, as I am an instructor. He hit my leg, my rib cage and my face. He would also pick on my looks and ridicule me. When I called the police for assistance they arrived about an hour later to the bloody scene and took my ex-husband in.”
Melissa said that one of the officers on scene at the time, then instructed her to follow the police van to Wentworth Police station in order to lay a charge. She added that the officer had her protection order (against her husband) with him at the time. When she arrived at the station to open a case, the said officer was nowhere to be found.
“I sat at the police station for almost two hours and the officer did not come. I was under the impression that the law would protect me. I asked around and no one at the station could assist me,” she said. With no clear answers to their whereabouts and unable to open a case, an injured Melissa eventually left to go to the hospital. When she returned home, she was shocked to see the same officer come back to her home, hours later, to drop off her ex-husband.
After a back and forth, Melissa said he returned her ex-husband into the police van. Out of fear for her life, she went back to the station in another attempt to open a case against her husband. She explained that the officers at the station could not open a case as the said officer had the documents (protection order and warrant of arrest) and instructed that nobody to assist her but him.
A case was eventually opened at Wentworth SAPS on Friday, 12 February with the assistance of a different officer who is now handling the case and pending investigation of attempted murder. Her ex-husband is currently out on bail.
“My ex-husband has told me that he isn’t afraid of the law and that even if he were to kill me one day and go to jail, he doesn’t care. He even filed for a protection order against me and manipulated the children and turned them against me. My children are going to look at me like as bad mother who had their father arrested without realising that I’m doing this in their best interest. Life has been so difficult. I still haven’t gotten back the original copy of my protection order. One of the other officers also seemed to show more of an interest in my surname change than what I was telling him. The last thing that an abused women needs is to go to the police and not get any help. If I died then maybe I would have got justice. Why is our system like this? Do our rights not matter?”questioned a distressed Melissa.
When the SUN sought advice on such complaints about police services, provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said that Melissa is advised to see the branch commander for any assistance related to the case she has opened.
Commenting on the challenges faced by police, Wentworth police communications officer, Captain Mbuso Gumede said: “Everyone has a right to open a case. If he or she feels that her or his rights have been infringed or believes that criminal elements have been committed against they need to report it. Opening a false case is a criminal offence and a person who does open a false case under oath can be charged with perjury. “The challenges we face as police in many cases brought to us is when a person or complainant opens a case and decides to withdraw the case immediately. This is a waste to state resources and detectives find it difficult to concentrate on serious cases or other investigations.”
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