KZN post office saps officer killed

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DA: Police brutality – including murder and rape – on the rise

Complaints regarding rape, murder, and torture at the hands of police have increased, leading to the DA to urgently demand better from Ipid.

KZN post office saps officer killed

Image via Adobe Stock

An investigation by the Democratic Alliance (DA) has revealed that incidents of police brutality have increased by 16% over the last year, with incidents in which police officers accused of rape having gone up by 20%. 

The disturbing statistics demonstrate an urgent need for reform, the opposition party have said, and they have called for the Independent Police Investigation Directorate (Ipid) to clear a crippling backlog and root out crimes committed by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS). 

The recent killing of 16-year-old Eldorado Park teen Nathaniel Julies has once again put SAPS officer’s conduct in the spotlight. The heinous murder of the disabled child is by no means the first incident that has shocked South Africans in recent months, and Police Minister Bheki Cele has even conceded that his forces must do more to prevent further wrongdoing and better their ability to protect citizens.

Police brutality increases in 2020 

According to research by the DA – which covers misconduct over a five year period – there has been a spike in complaints against police officers in 2020. The investigation broke down the crimes reported by year, and it is clear that there has been an increase over the last 12-months. 

2015/ 20162016/ 20172017/ 20182018/ 20192019/ 20205-year % change
Deaths in custody103154989911512%
Rape by police officer61514955668%
Deaths as a result of police action15920722421520529%
Torture73618714410645%
Deaths as a result of police action15920722421520529%

“The data shows that complaints of deaths in police custody increased by 16%, from 99 incidents in 2018-2019 to 115 during 2019-2020,” said DA shadow Minister for Police, Andrew Whitfield.

“Even more troubling is the fact that complaints of rape by a police officer increased by 20%, from 55 to 66 incidents.”

Ipid failing to investigate with crippling backlog  

Whitfield said that Ipid’s capacity to investigate misconduct has severely declined during the past four years. 

“In the current report, 2 806 registered cases were registered with Ipid and only 757 were classified as being ‘decision ready’. This translates to only 27% of ‘decision ready’ cases,” he said. 

Registered casesDecision ready%
Deaths in custody1156456%
Rape by police officer662842%
Deaths as a result of police action2052713%
Torture1061817%
Deaths as a result of police action2052713%
Registered cases vs Decision Ready cases. Data: Democratic Alliance.

‘Rotten’ police must be rooted out – Whitfield

Whitfield said that the DA will write to Ipid head Jennifer Ntlatseng requesting that she provides clarity on any plans that the organisation has to clear its case backlog and fast track its investigations on pending cases.

“It is simply unacceptable that, at a time when crime has reached an all-time high, rotten cops within SAPS have become agents for the re-victimisation of South Africans seeking protection from communities overrun by criminals,” he said. 

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