The Mercury

Our cops are good at being bad: study

Police are now worse than other state sectors, watchdog group claims

- SE-ANNE RALL se-anne.koopman@inl.co.za

CORRUPTION in the police has overtaken other sectors such as schools, health and local government, according to the latest analysis by watchdog group, Corruption Watch.

The report, the 2019 Analysis of Corruption Trends, said the top areas in which police were at fault were: the abuse of power, bribery and derelictio­n of duty.

Issued twice a year, the report also said some officers would stage stop-andsearch operations to extort money from pedestrian­s and motorists.

It further noted that Corruption Watch had received tip-offs from 1 591 whistle-blowers. In a report released earlier this year, it cited 1 442 cases of corruption over a period of seven years.

“What we have learnt in this midyear report is that over the years we have received an equivalent of almost a 10th of those cases in the first six months of 2019.

“Neverthele­ss, as far as this data set is concerned, cases alleging corruption in SAPS account for 9.2% of the total number of reports received in the period under review,” it said.

The advocacy group’s executive director, David Lewis, said the reports have guided them to intensify their engagement with police. “The increase in corruption reports in police sectors are most likely the result of focused Corruption Watch campaigns in these areas that are intended to bring to light and address specific, systematic challenges.

“Leading forms of corruption are abuse of power and bribery which stand at 35.7% and 30.6% respective­ly.”

Lewis said it was necessary to establish trust. “But the police have to earn that trust. By providing a mechanism for accountabi­lity we are hoping to contribute to building trust between the communitie­s and the police,” Lewis said.

MP Andrew Whitfield, DA spokespers­on on police, said it was a shocking indictment on SAPS that they had emerged as one of the most corrupt department­s of government.

“We need an honest and profession­al police service that keeps our citizens and visitors safe. The DA has serious specific concerns about the under-resourcing of Ipid (the Independen­t Police Investigat­ing Directorat­e) which is tasked to tackle corruption in SAPS,” he said.

Whitfield said this was the battlegrou­nd of corruption in the police and must be taken seriously by the minister.

Senior research consultant at the Institute for Security Studies Dr Johan Burger said the report needed to be looked at in context. “This does not mean that there is more corruption within SAPS, it just means that there are more reports looking at corrupt behaviour by police. However, it was still concerning.”

Burger noted that police had made great strides in trying to combat corruption within their ranks. “Police have set up the Anti-Corruption Unit and the Integrity Management Services unit which are led by experience­d officers. These units have been performing well.”

SAPS national spokespers­on, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, said they were not going to question how Corruption Watch reached its conclusion because there was no denying corruption existed within the ranks.

“Sadly, it’s only a handful of members that seem to undo the good work that the majority of our members do. Our management views corruption in a very serious light. To this end, Anti-Corruption Units have been reintroduc­ed at both national and provincial levels, this after a National Anti-Corruption Strategy was launched last year.”

Naidoo said the fruitful effects of this implementa­tion were reflected continuous­ly when SAPS management, through its own volition, announced the number of police officers arrested and dealt with, both department­ally and criminally.

“The SAPS has a Code of Conduct which every member is expected to abide by from the day they start work with the SAPS. Any member who fails to conform knows that he or she will face the full brunt of the law,” Naidoo said.

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