Photo: Martyn Powell / Flickr
Photo: Martyn Powell / Flickr
Perhaps the DA MPL Michael Shackleton said it best on Tuesday: Upon learning just how many police stations have been robbed in Gauteng over the past five years, he openly wondered how SAPS can be mandated to oversee the safety of South Africans, when they are ‘unable to safeguard their own premises’.
Figures shared by the MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, make for a darkly comical – but ultimately despairing – bit of reading. Scores of break-ins and robberies have severely hampered SAPS operations in Gauteng, with over R1.5 million’s worth of goods getting nicked in the process. Sadly, less than 10 of linked arrests have led to a sentencing.
Shackleton has a firm footing on the warpath today, and issued a statement on the matter earlier. He has slammed the ‘unacceptable conviction rate’, and warned his opposite number Mazibuko to immediately clamp down on these crimes.
“The low conviction rate is totally unacceptable, and clearly indicates either a failure of the justice system, or the failure of the police to properly investigate these cases. It compromises the ability of police officers to conduct their business of ensuring the safety of residents, through regular patrolling, opening of cases, and response to emergencies.”
“We are appalled that SAPS are unable to safeguard its own premises, yet are mandated to oversee to the safety of our residents. Police stations are regarded by communities as a safe place where police officers prevent, combat, and investigate crime, while protecting and ensuring the safety of all residents.” | Michael Shackleton