Cape Town - Police watchdog, the Independent
Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), has been inundated with complaints
against the police, with 163 cases
reported from March 26 to May 4.
Ipid provincial head Thabo Leholo told the ad hoc committee in the Legislature on Wednesday that 83 of the alleged incidents were related to Covid-19 operations.
Among cases reported were those allegedly involving deaths, rapes, assaults, the discharge of official firearms and non-compliance.
The ad hoc committee on Covid-19 focused on policing, security and police brutality during its virtual meeting.
The committee was briefed by a team headed by Provincial Police Commissioner Yolisa Matakata and comprising Ipid, Correctional Services and SANDF members.
Leholo said there were already 117 cases relating to assault, 39 relating to discharge of an official firearm(s), three cases relating to death as a result of police action, two cases of rape allegedly by police officers, one case of death in police custody and one of non-compliance.
According to Brigadier Preston Voskuil, the police had recorded 16 833 criminal cases and 17 059 accused.
Voskuil said that since the national State of Disaster had been declared the Western Cape had operationalised the regulations and directives issued by the Office of the National Commissioner and the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure.
He said that subsequently an operational command structure had been established consisting of a Provincial Core Command Group, convening on a daily basis and reporting to the National Core Command Group.
He said police encountered challenges relating to a lack of co-operation and non-adherence by communities to restrictions. Another challenge was the policing of contentious food distribution schemese by relief organisations and individuals to ensure that 480 000 poor/disadvantaged pupils received meals during lockdown.
DA provincial spokesperson on community safety, Reagen Allen, said the spate of police brutality could not be condoned and further highlighted the need for oversight by the Legislature during this time.
Allen said that should police brutality continue unabated, “we fear the situation may spiral out of control and the consequences could be fatal”.
The briefing by safety stakeholders in the Western Cape also highlighted the need for the deployment of neighbourhood watches, as a significant number of police officials had tested positive for Covid-19, and that the nature of service delivery had drastically changed in the last five weeks.
“We want to thank the many law enforcement officers who are doing a great job at keeping us safe while risking their well-being. We welcome the readiness as indicated by the police in the reserve of more than 3 000 officers,” he said.