Community Police Forum slammed for targeting beggars

A WESTVILLE resident has filed a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), slamming a plan to fingerprint beggars and vagrants in a bid to maintain a database as unconstitutional.

Kiru Naidoo filed the complaint with the SAHRC earlier this month, after the Westville Community Policing Forum (CPF) published details of the joint plan with the Westville SAPS on its Facebook page. This sparked an outcry from concerned residents, while others expressed their support for it.

“Someone has to speak up against injustice. I was taught that if no one answers your call, then just stand alone.

“My family has also been victims of crime in our home but that is not solved by harassing people forced to beg or dig in bins to survive,” said Naidoo.

He added it would be “interesting” to see which court had granted permission for the police to go ahead with this controversial plan, which he described as “illegal”.

“The CPF hurriedly pulled down a Facebook (post) that reeked of racism and vigilantism. But since some of the citizens shook them up, the chairperson has been doing a lot of Bell Pottinger footwork on social media. It seems the SAPS and CPF are now wanting to ask beggars for their permission to fingerprint and photograph them.”

Naidoo said he had attempted to open a charge of contravention of the Constitution and violation of human rights against the CPF, the station commander and the minister of police.

“The police refused my right to open a charge. I prepared an affidavit at the station and was given an occurrence book number. Since then there has been only silence from the station commander.

“When the police refused to open the charge, I went to the Human Rights Commission. The SAHRC has written to me to confirm my complaint and to say they are investigating the matter.”

Naidoo said he had also attempted to complain to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), but was told it was outside their jurisdiction.

Right2Know national working group member Galiep Galant said he was concerned about the possible infringement of citizens’ rights in this case.

“The targeting of beggars and homeless people almost criminalises them without any proof.

“It’s targeting certain people who happen to be homeless and perceiving them potentially as criminals,” said Galant.

“That would potentially be unfair discrimination and there is a right to non-discrimination.

“The concern from a policing perspective is that having these fingerprints on a database pre-criminalises a certain class of people.

“You are usually only put on a database if you have committed a crime. In terms of telling people what the by-laws are, that is fine,” he pointed out.

“But getting them to sign that they have been told, that would raise a flag. Residents have a right to proper policing and to be secure and safe, but targeting a group of vulnerable people is not the way to do that.

“Wouldn’t it be better to target the crime hotspots and put in CCTV cameras?”

The SA Human Rights Commission had not commented at the time of publication.