Action Society yesterday submitted a request for information in terms of the Promotion of Access to information Act (PAIA) to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the investigations against the #BlueLightMafia eight as we reach day ten with no arrests made.
The PAIA request was compiled by the Action Society Law Clinic, who is representing one of the victims of the Johannesburg highway attack by armed officers of the VIP protection division of the South African Police Service (SAPS) on 4 July 2023.
According to Daniël Eloff, legal representative of the Action Society Law Clinic, the SAPS and IPID’s inaction against the violent perpetrators in this case creates the worrying impression that crimes committed by members of the police are regarded as less serious than other crimes. “This is not a difficult case to investigate. The crime was caught on film. The criminal’s identities and whereabouts are known to the police. Criminal cases have been opened and some charges have been filed. Yet, no arrests have been made. By accessing the information of the investigation thus far, we will bring the necessary transparency to the investigation and increase the pressure on both the SAPS and IPID to do the right thing. The #BlueLightMafia eight must be arrested and charged and the SAPS must be held accountable for their inaction.”
The Action Society Law clinic requested the following information:
- Incident reports: Any reports or statements taken by police officers at the scene of the incident or regarding the incident. This could include the first-response report, statements from victims, and statements from witnesses.
Police Officer details: Information on the police officers involved in the incident, such as their names, ranks, and years of service. - Video or photographic material: Any footage or photographs taken by police cameras, including dash-cam footage or body-cam footage. Also, surveillance footage from nearby CCTV cameras that might have captured the incident and which is in SAPS’s possession.
- Radio Communications: Transcripts or recordings of any radio communications between the officers at the scene and their command centre or other officers.
- SOPs and Guidelines: Any Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or guidelines relevant to the incident. This could include SOPs for traffic stops, use of force guidelines, or guidelines for dealing with the public.
- Internal Investigation Reports: If an internal investigation has been or will be conducted by the SAPS.
- Training Records: Information about the training that the officers involved have received.
Read the PAIA request here.
