At least 830 of KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) law-enforcement officers are under investigation for a host of crimes ranging from assault through to rape and murder, figures released by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) revealed on Wednesday.
Of the 830 officers — which include members of the South African Police Services, eThekwini metro police and other municipal police services — only one officer has been convicted.
This was a police officer from the High Flats police station who was sentenced to 30 years for murder.
The crimes for which the officers are under investigation include death in police custody or as a result of police action, misconduct, neglect of duties, rape, domestic violence, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, murder and corruption.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial head of the ICD, Tabisa Ralo, on Wednesday said that of the 830 officers being probed, 174 are being scrutinised for deaths in police custody or as a result of police action.
Another 289 are being investigated for misconduct, while 351 are under investigation for failing to carry out their duties.
She said misconduct cases include assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, rape, indecent assault, extortion and corruption.
Up to 16 police officers had domestic violence cases filed against them by their own family members.
In the 2003/04 financial year, ending March 31 2004, figures on the ICD website showed that the directorate in the province had dealt with 725 complaints.
This increased to 728 complaints by March 31 2005 — at least 102 cases less than the 830 cases Ralo said the ICD had on its books for the year ended December 31 2007.
According to the website, the Western Cape had the biggest number of cases filed against its law-enforcement officers in the year ending March 2004, with 1 289 cases. This decreased the following year to 1 257.
The second highest was Gauteng, while the Northern Cape was the lowest with only 292 complaints being investigated in the year ending March 2004.
This, however, increased a year later to 439 cases. The total number of cases investigated nationally by the ICD for the 2003/04 financial year stood at 5 903.
A year later, it dropped slightly to 5 790.
More people died at the hands of KwaZulu-Natal’s law-enforcement officers than any other province.
In the financial year ending March 31 2005, there were 175 cases filed against officers for deaths in police custody or as a result of police action (a class one offence).
Ralo’s figures released on Wednesday revealed that in 2007 not much had changed — 174 officers are being investigated for the same offences.
Of the 174 officers being examined, 146 are SAPS members while 28 are municipal or metro police officers.
”The role of the ICD forms part of an ongoing commitment to transform policing in South Africa ,” said Ralo.
”The ICD is an independent mechanism established to ensure that policing in our country takes place within human rights and that those officers who do not uphold the rule of law are held accountable for their actions,” she said.
However, she said there is a need to keep good relations with other state organs in order to preserve peace.
”There is a need to forge and maintain good relations with other state organs in a quest to preserve peace, national unity and the indivisibility of our country and secure the well-being of the people of South Africa ,” Ralo said.
eThekwini metro police spokesperson Superintendent John Tyala said he believed that less then ten metro officers were under investigation by the ICD.
”Our management has committed itself to clamp down n corruption and this has served as a deterrent to other members.”
Tyala urged members of the public not to attempt to bribe his officers.
”Don’t bribe our members because you will be enticing them … they too have families and if they lose their jobs what will be their future?” he said.
”They will be unemployed.”
Tyala encouraged members of the public to report cases because ”we are servants of the public and you invest in us to do our job — so please come forward and report crimes committed by our members”.
Provincial SAPS spokesperson Director Phindile Radebe said: ”I’m not aware of this [the figures released by Ralo ]… I’ll come back to you,” she said.
Ralo said her team was committed to curbing acts of criminality and misconduct.
She said anyone wishing to report complaints about law-enforcement officers should contact the ICD on 031 3101300 or visit its offices in Kingsfield Place, Field Street, Durban. — Sapa