The South African Police Service (SAPS) code of ethics assures the public: “We will, at all times, perform our duties to the best of our abilities. Our conduct will bear the mark of professionalism. Our conduct and appearance will be proof of our commitment to service excellence.”
Police stations have been renamed “service centres” — apparently in an attempt to provide a more humane, friendly service to the public. But has anything at the SAPS stations changed apart from the name? Not if my experience at a Gauteng “service centre” is anything to go by.
The story began when a friend was arrested at the Carletonville police station when he went to lay a charge after being mugged on a Saturday night. His cellphone, some money, and shoes were taken.
Having made the trip to the police station barefoot, the officers on duty refused to allow him to lay a charge. They insisted that he came back the following day, a point he did not understand and tried to argue.
The police decided the best way to deal with him was to lock him up for drunkenness. He was thrown into a cell with awaiting trial prisoners who stole what was left of his money and made it clear they were to be obeyed.
The next day another friend asked me to go with him to pay a R100 admission of guilt fine to secure our friend’s release.
We got to the police station at 5.30pm, and were told to come back after 6pm. When we went back we were told to wait a bit longer because there was a shift change.
Some white folks arrived to release a friend and would have none of that. They gave the police 10 minutes to release their friend and when that time expired, they disappeared to the back of the police station and came back with the man in tow.
He was asked to sign the admission of guilt form and pay his fine, which he did and left with his friends.
But we had to wait. At about 7pm an affable young constable passed me a pen and forms and asked me to sign the forms. They read: “I do hereby admit that I am guilty of the offence as charged etc … ”
I didn’t understand why I, not the accused, should sign the forms and wondered if she actually understood what they said. Stories about police illiteracy abound and I wondered if she was one of the many functionally illiterate cops on the force.
And still we waited. Eventually we became impatient with the long wait and the shoddy service, so we complained. An inspector sitting behind a desk shouted: “Is there a problem?” We replied that there was. He refused to come to the counter and insisted that we speak loudly, while he shuffled some papers.
“Is that your problem? Go to the Labour Court then,” he shouted, waving his hands in a dismissive gesture.
We replied that we didn’t see how the Labour Court was relevant in the current matter, but he repeated that he didn’t want to listen and we should just go straight to the court.
Just before 7.30pm our friend was released. “I will never enter a police station again in my life,” he said. Ironically, his father was a policeman.
The SAPS service evaluation desk has undertaken to investigate.
Complaints about poor service can be directed to the desk, which can be reached on 0860 13 0860.