By Marianne Merten
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has rejected as "subjective" a South African Institute for Race Relations (SAIRR) study highlighting 100 cases of police officers' involvement in serious violent crime.
"There has been a concerted drive from this police leadership to fight crime, which includes rooting (out) those tsotsi cops who may be among us," Mthethwa said on Monday. "Whether the SAIRR chooses deliberately or subjectively to ignore this fact, our mission will continue unhindered."
The SAIRR risk analysis unit's study, "Broken Blue Line: The involvement of the South African Police Service in serious violent crime in South Africa", lists police involvement in 18 rapes, 43 murders or attempted murders – including spousal killings, 15 robberies, seven thefts and 17 other serious crimes, ATM bombings among them, between January, 2009 and April, 2010.
The cases were culled from media reports, including those on court appearances and convictions, and various Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) reports.
Citing the ICD's 2008/09 annual report, the study pointed out that conviction rates in cases involving police compared with public conviction rates were extremely low: 1.61 percent for murder, 1.58 percent for common assault, 0.72 percent for serious assault, 6.66 percent for indecent assault, and one in three for kidnapping.
The study said the likelihood of a successful prosecution was "questionable" in cases involving members of the police force.
Mthethwa said crime and corruption were societal challenges that affected everyone. "For the record, some of the SAPS members who were found guilty by courts of law were additionally dismissed and/or (had) additional internal disciplinary measures imposed on them by the department," he said.
It is understood that among recently introduced measures to crack down on rogue officers and other internal challenges are monthly reports from the ICD, tighter disciplinary proceedings and better recruitment standards, as well as efforts to create an environment where officers feel comfortable reporting corruption.
Policing experts, however, said positive police leadership was crucial – it was not good enough to be gung-ho. And the police's internal disciplinary proceedings were not optimal.
David Bruce, of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, said: "What could make a difference is a real seriousness by the police leadership to address this. But this has consistently not happened."
Bruce said some cases involved police brutality as officers overstepped the law by being "overzealous" to achieve expected results, while others, such as involvement in ATM bombings, were a form of corruption. Access to policing powers, knowledge or resources such as service firearms were other factors.
Africa Analysis comparative policing expert Eldred de Klerk said that militarising the police was not sufficient to restore discipline. Attention had to be paid to hiring the right candidates and proper training. The police also needed to take steps to reduce stress levels, which had been cited as key factors in, for example, spousal killings and suicides.
"It's not enough that (police officers) get fit. They must also get psychologically and spiritually fit. And I'm not talking about just prayer meetings," said De Klerk.
Andrew Faull, researcher with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Crime and Justice Programme, said much could be done to improve police discipline and organisational culture. But police involvement in serious violent crime "definitely says something about the kind of people recruited and employee support".
Bruce, cautiously, and De Klerk, more enthusiastically, welcomed as steps in the right direction the Civilian Secretariat for Police Bill, which would restructure the entity to make it independent of the police, with its own budget, and the legislative proposals to strengthen the ICD.
The SAIRR made similar policy suggestions while emphasising the need to refocus on internal discipline at all levels of the police force. – Political Bureau
In IOL.
CSVR is a multi-disciplinary institute that seeks to understand and prevent violence, heal its effects and build sustainable peace at the community, national and regional levels.
