Police top brass to face tough parliamentary questions

Multiple failures to implement the Domestic Violence Act, which included officers, a grave problem

FRESH from being savaged by MPs last week, police top brass and their chief Riah Phiyega face tough questions in Parliament tomorrow over startling figures regarding the failure by the police to act against men who abuse their partners.

In a report that was dissected by women’s rights groups in Parliament, it has emerged that more and more police officers face disciplinary action for failing to act in domestic violence cases.

The Women’s Legal Centre and the Legal Resources Centre painted a gloomy picture of the abuse of women.

The two groups told Parliament’s portfolio committee on police that the rate of failure by the police to implement the Domestic Violence Act was a serious problem.

They called for more action against officers who fail to implement this piece of legislation as many women were left exposed to more abuse and even death.

They even warned that some of the police officers were involved in the killing of their fellow partners and colleagues. The groups cited the case of Alexandra police officer Constable Joseph Masie, who gunned down his colleague, his neighbour, his girlfriend and the girlfriend’s uncle at the police station in June.

He was reported to be a ticking time bomb after a history of domestic violence.

The women’s groups said this was one of many incidents where officers had failed to act on the Domestic Violence Act.

Tomorrow MPs will quiz the police over the failure by their members to implement the Domestic Violence Act.

Phiyega and her senior officials will face a grilling on the more than 300 cases of officers who have been disciplined for failing to implement this act.

The police report found that between October 2013 and March 2014 there were 318 cases reported against the police on this matter.

In these cases, the report said, there was remedial action on 167 cases but the incidents were not serious.

In 40 cases officers were given a verbal warning and in 17 cases a written warning.

The police were still investigating 92 cases against their members and two officers were found not guilty during this period. The report states that none of the investigated officers was dismissed.

Disciplinary action also took place between April and September 2014 against officers in almost 200 cases.

In these cases only one officer has been found guilty while 141 were still being investigated. In the report, police say effective measures were taken to address the situation.