WC Community Safety Department cry foul over number of cases struck off court roll

The Western Cape’s Police Oversight & Community Safety Department is crying foul over the number of court cases that were struck off the roll due to South African Police Services (SAPS) inefficiencies.

PICTURE: Bloemfontein Courant

It was revealed that between October 2022 and March 2023, the second and third quarter reports of the Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety’s (POCS) Court Watching Briefs (CWB) unit, that 283 cases monitored during this period at 33 courts, linked to 82 SAPS stations across the province, were struck off the roll.

The CWB Unit is an initiative of the Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety to enhance their ability to perform oversight of the police.

This consists of 153 cases monitored during quarter three at 15 courts covering 40 SAPS stations, and 130 during quarter four at 18 courts, covering 42 SAPS stations. The quarter 3 report also consists of a post-monitoring brief of eighty-four (84) murder cases at 20 SAPS stations. This is 33 fewer murder cases than the 117 dockets requested from SAPS. 

INFO SUPPLIED: WC POCS

Of the 283 cases, 77 are Gender Based Violence (GBV) related, while the other 206 matters, amongst others include assault-grievous bodily harm(GBH), murder, aggravated robbery, possession and dealing in drugs and possession of firearms and ammunition.

INFO SUPPLIED: WC POCS

Among the list of courts monitored were in communities including Khayelitsha, Bishop Lavis, Blue Downs, Philippi, Mitchells Plain, Atlantis, Malmesbury, George, Mossel Bay, and Knysna.

INFO SUPPLIED: WC POCS

MEC Reagen Allen, raised concerns over these statistics.

‘’These statistics paint a very grim picture, which deeply disturbs me. More so that these are real people who have been dismally failed by the South African Police Service and the entire criminal system.’’

‘’What is further alarming is that these are the cases that we have monitored, which would suggest that there could be many similar matters that are also being thrown out of court. The indictment is damning and clear. Investigators work under immense strain and at times they each sit with well over 200 dockets. This failure does however not justify their inability to comply with their oath and fulfill their constitutional mandate,’’ added Reagen Allen, Western Cape’s Police Oversight & Community Safety MEC.

ARCHIVED: Bush Radio's Mitchum George interviewing MEC Reagen Allen

Allen said he will engage with the Western Cape’s Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, as well as Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, on a way forward.

‘’I will not sit by and continue to allow this type of failure to persist within SAPS. The pain, suffering and injustice that the victims have to endure has to be addressed and there should be recourse for the victims. We have made a number of recommendations based on these findings. One of them is that SAPS should develop an improvement plan to minimise the number of cases that are struck off the roll due to their inefficiencies.”

‘’I am aware that there is a standard operating procedure between investigators and prosecutors, and it has to be ascertained where the breakdown is. Our people who are victims deserve better across the board, and we have to work towards eradicating these shortcomings,” he added.

Done By: Mitchum George