Police officers committing crimes have no place in the police force and should be removed from service without pay as soon as a crime is reported. If they are found not guilty they may be reinstated with back pay. If found guilty they should be treated as any other criminal in this country.
The erosion of trust in law enforcement is reaching crisis levels, driven in part by the well-known presence of officers with serious criminal records still serving in active duty.
“We are gravely concerned over the growing criminality within the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the broader justice system. Many South Africans have lost trust in the police—not out of cynicism, but because they’ve seen officers act as perpetrators instead of protectors,” said Action Society spokesperson, Juanita du Preez. “This betrayal of public trust must end. Perpetrators must be removed from positions of power and their criminal records made public to ensure they can never again hold positions of authority.”
Portfolio Committee on Police Chairperson, Ian Cameron highlighted shocking revelations in a committee meeting, where SAPS leadership revealed multiple officers currently facing serious charges are still serving active duty, particularly in the Cape Flats.
- A constable charged with rape still working at a police station;
- An acting station commander accused of attempted murder and torture;
- A member caught selling dockets and drunk driving, back at work;
- A court orderly with 900+ Mandrax tablets still deployed at Cape Town Central;
- A detective charged with drug dealing, still on active duty.
“We welcome the committee’s strong stance on this issue. These systemic problems gravely undermines the credibility of SAPS and betrays the communities they’re meant to serve. No amount of strategy or resourcing can make up for a lack of public trust.”
Cameron also flagged systemic issues which include, high arrests but low convictions, revealing a broken justice pipeline, a lack of a coherent anti-gang strategy, even as murder rates rise, poor inter-agency coordination, especially with SARS and ongoing vehicle repair and equipment shortages, crippling operations.
“We owe it to every victim, every family, and every honest officer to clean up SAPS,” concluded du Preez. “Without urgent action, there will be no justice—and no public safety.”
