GBV: make examples of errant officers

IF WE are hoping to make a meaningful contribution in the fight against domestic violence, police officers found guilty of this scourge should be dealt with in the harshest possible way.

A Civilian Secretariat for Police Services report has found that 132 officers from 96 police stations were found to be perpetrators of domestic violence.

The report also revealed that 72 disciplinary processes had been initiated against the officers with corrective counselling and final written warnings imposed as sanctions.

As a country we should not be tolerant of police officers found to be perpetrators of Gender Based Violence (GBV). Any initiatives taken by the government to combat domestic violence would be a futile exercise if law-enforcers are the perpetrators of such crimes.

For a very long time, gender activists have accused police of not taking domestic violence seriously at police station level, with many saying this is due to the fact that a number of cops have been found to be abusing their partners.

The report also revealed that “one of the main challenges with domestic violence cases is the high rate of withdrawals”. This should be of serious concern to the National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole and Police Minister Bheki Cele.

It should be standard operating procedure within the SAPS that once a police officer is charged with domestic violence, the victim should not be allowed to withdraw the case.

We believe that in many instances domestic violence victims are intimidated and pressured into withdrawing cases.

For South Africa to win the war against domestic violence, police officers should be driving such initiatives.