Cops fail domestic violence victims
Police fail to serve protection orders, endangering lives of complainants
Police have been accused of misconduct and in turn failing domestic violence victims.
A presentation by the Civilian Secretariat for Police on compliance with the Domestic Violence Act (DVA) revealed that police fail to serve one in four protection orders in under two months.
“This is simply unacceptable, especially considering the unacceptably high level of violence against women in our country. The DA believes that under ANC, national government has directly failed in the protection of victims of domestic violence,” DA shadow minister of police Zakhele Mbhele said.
Mbhele’s sentiments were echoed by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), who said the reports on police compliance with the DVA presented to the portfolio committee on police in parliament yesterday were totally unacceptable.
“These numbers can’t be right. The same problems with the sampling methodology and suspiciously low levels of noncompliance are evident yearon-year, without change.
“We have serious questions about the ability of the Secretariat to monitor SAPS compliance at the provincial level, and the validity of the data points presented,” said Sanja Bornman, LHR attorney on gender equality programme.
Bornman said the SAPS report for the period April 2015 to September 2015, indicated that only 219 incidents of non-compliance were identified country-wide, with zero incidents in Mpumalanga.
Of these, 128 cases were still under investigation and 131 were so-called “not serious” cases of non-compliance only subject to “remedial steps”.
Non-compliance numbers rose to 641 incidents for the period October 2015 to March 2016, Bornman said, with as little as three cases in Mpumalanga and nine in the North West. During the period April 2015 to March 2016, the Secretariat could only visit 546 police stations.
Mbhele, a member of the committee, said he would write to Police Minister Fikile Mbalula to “demand that he release the list of the worst performing stations and that he and the station commanders be summoned to account to the police portfolio committee”.
“A protection order, issued in terms of the DVA, should be served as soon as is possible and provides for immediate remedies in crisis situations.
“Any delay may place the life and safety of the person seeking protection at risk,” he said.
Bornman said police failure to assist complainants was misconduct and a disciplinable offence.
Mbalula’s spokesman Vuyo Mhaga said the minister would be summoning station commanders in various areas to give then a six-point plan to ensure officers were compliant and served communities professionally. These will include the approach and creating a conducive environment for victims.
“Unfortunately, police have to be responsive because we cannot have a policeman in every bedroom,” he said.
Mhaga said engagement sessions to deal with women abuse would be held and would involve various stakeholders.
‘‘ Failure to assist victims a misconduct, and an offence