Ombud for the police investigates Overstrand

PROVINCIAL police ombudsman Johannes Brand has launched a formal investigation to determine if police stations in the Overstrand were being adequately staffed and resourced to carry out their duties efficiently and effectively.

Brand’s spokesperson Deidré Foster said they had received a complaint from the Overstrand community and, upon assessment, “we noted that it fell within our mandate, and therefore, we commenced with this investigation”.

According to the notice of investigation, published in the provincial gazette of May 14, the stations of Gansbaai, Hermanus, Kleinmond and Stanford were unable to perform their mandate due to an insufficient allocation of resources, resulting in inefficiency of the delivery of services by police in the Overstrand.

“Provincial Police Ombudsman, in terms of section 17 of the Western Cape Community Safety Act, 2013 (Act 3 of 2013), concerning allegations that the South African Police Service in the Overstrand municipal area (Gansbaai, Hermanus, Kleinmond and Stanford police stations) is unable to perform its mandate, as prescribed in section 205(3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution), due to an insufficient allocation of resources, resulting in inefficiency of the delivery of services by SAPS in the Overstrand municipal area”, the gazette stated.

“Section 205(3) of the Constitution states that the objects of the police service are to prevent, combat and investigate crime, to maintain public order, to protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property, and to uphold and enforce the law”.

Western Cape premier-elect Alan Winde on Monday welcomed the notice given by the province’s police ombudsman.

“Policing is a national mandate, and Minister of Police Bheki Cele has to ensure the stations have all the relevant resources they require,” he said.

The investigation, Winde added, is being undertaken in terms of the oversight mechanisms the Western Cape government has put in place, to monitor and address national police services. This includes the police provincial ombudsman office, which the Western Cape government set up.

“The province has one officer for every 509 residents. Cape Town has it worse at 1:560. The national average is 1:375. This means the province needs a further 4 500 officers to be on par with the national average,” Winde said.

Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the matter was between the SAPS and Western Cape police ombudsman.