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The police initiated disciplinary action in 160 of the 215 cases. Of these, 129 (80,6%) have been finalised, 5 (3,1%) matters were still under investigation, 12 (7,5%) decisions to initiate hearings were still pending, and 14 (8,8%) disciplinary hearings were still in progress.
“Overall, the progress shows the police are acting on the IPID recommendations,” Allen said.
“I urge the Provincial Police Commissioner, where matters have not been finalised, to swiftly deal with these members that have allegedly broken their oath of office. We cannot have individuals such as these in the police, as this should be a fully-fledged and law-abiding professional service that only has the best interests of society at heart. The police must embark on a concerted effort to reverse the current situation. We know they work under immense strain but seeing these types of reports is inexcusable.”Assistance required
The minister followed up on his pledge to visit police stations to “engage commanders to ascertain staff morale, but to also remind the men and women in blue of their responsibility to citizenry.”
Last week, during a visit to the Overstrand, Allen engaged with various stakeholders, including the Stanford CPF, Stanford Farmers Association, Strandveld Farm Watch and Klein River Overwatch. He also visited several crime hot spots in the area with officers of Overstrand Municipality’s Protection Services and accompanied the Kleinmond and Proteadorp neighbourhood watches, along with protection services and the police members on patrols.
Allen also visited the Hermanus Police Station, where he engaged with Col Luthando Nosilela, the station commander.
Nosilela showed the minister around the station and trauma room, and briefly discussed safety and security highlights as well as challenges faced by his station.
Regarding his visit to Hermanus Police, Allen said: “As with many stations across our province, they do require urgent resourcing assistance. I will continue to visit and engage all safety stakeholders and partners across the Western Cape.”
