The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) says that police corruption is a significant issue that undermines public trust and co-operation, while minister Senzo Mchunu has warned that more officers are being exposed for their involvement in criminal activities.
In the latest example, a police sergeant was among the three suspected armed robbers who were shot and killed in a shoot-out with police in Ntuzuma on Sunday.
In December, the former minister of police, Bheki Cele, revealed that of the 5 489 SAPS members arrested since 2019 for various crimes, 3 981 were still employed by SAPS.
David Bruce of the ISS said the institute recommends establishing a well-resourced national police anti-corruption unit and appointing dedicated disciplinary officials to address this problem.
“Police corruption is a major factor that undermines public trust in the police. This reduces public co-operation with the police which is critical to the effectiveness of the police. If people don’t believe that SAPS members consistently uphold high standards of integrity they will be afraid to provide information to the police.
“It is critical that the SAPS do much more to ensure that members are respected for upholding high standards of conduct. In its recommendations on strengthening the SAPS released in June the ISS called for the establishment of a properly resourced national police anti-corruption unit as well as for the appointment of dedicated disciplinary officials,” said Bruce.
On Monday, while visiting the crime scene where six men were shot dead by unknown suspects in uMlazi, police minister Senzo Mchunu said police involvement in criminal activities appears to be on the rise.
“We are yet to get a full day to look intensively at different aspects of police, one of them being recruitment, because there is a sense that these incidents of police involvement in criminal activities are on the increase.
“Maybe it is not just that, maybe police are performing their job such that they are even able to identify some within their ranks, instead of suppressing that (information),” said Mchunu.
KZN police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, speaking at the same briefing, pointed out that deadly criminals sometimes involve officials from various industries, including law enforcement, in their activities.
“In the majority of the instances (where there is a shoot-out between) deadly or dangerous criminals (and police), it is unfortunate that sometimes they would involve some officials within the industry.
“For instance, CIT (cash-in-transit heists) where the robberies are taking place, some officials from within are part of these robberies. Or it is our own colleagues that we work with in the police law enforcement fraternity, who are in cahoots with the criminals.”
KZN violence monitor Mary de Haas said corruption within the police force poses a threat to honest police officers, with some facing death threats for exposing corrupt colleagues.
“It is impossible to know how widespread the issue of police working with criminals is but it is not being dealt with, because I have a stack of serious cases like torture and killings by the police with Ipid (Independent Police Investigative Directorate), and these have never gone to court.”
“Corruption kills decent police. I know of cases where honest police have been killed or under threat of death, because of corruption in the police to avoid exposing corrupt police.”
Thulani Ngwenya, president of police and prisons union Popcru, condemned corruption by SAPS members and the use of police uniforms in criminal acts.
“It is disappointing that you find a situation where one member will be said to be corrupt and then you paint the whole service as corrupt. There are good police officials out there who are doing their job diligently and honestly and they make sure that they execute their mandate. But those rotten potatoes within, we do not support them.
“The processes of the department must kick in, correctly, and they need to be named and shamed because we do not support corruption. We want a police service that is free of corruption and challenges that are brought by those (who are corrupt),” said Ngwenya.
He called for police officers who are pressured or threatened by corrupt colleagues to come forward.
“We are calling for those members who are pressured to report to us as a union, so that we give them a clear direction as to what they must do.
If they fear to report to their commanders, they must tell us. We have a way of dealing with that, but they must not be pressured by corruption,” said Ngwenya.
The DA noted that they are aware of at least three incidents during the past two weeks, where police officers have been the perpetrators of crime, including a KZN police officer accused of rape, who has recently been released on R5 000 bail.
“SAPS has a history of its officers being accused and found guilty of transgressing the law. While there are many dedicated officers, for some, wearing a uniform has become an opportunity to abuse the system and the rule of law,” said the DA KZN spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison, Riona Gokool.
The Mercury