Statement by Dan Plato, Western Cape Minister of Community Safety Policing Complaints Line – 70% success rate in resolving policing service delivery complaints
The Western Cape Department of Community Safety’s Report-a-Cop; Reward-a-Cop campaign together with the Policing Complaints Centre and hotline has achieved commendable successes in rebuilding relationships between communities and the police.
More than 70% of cases referred by the public to the department’s complaints centre this year have been resolved.
Between January 2014 and September 2014, the policing complaints centre logged 516 complaints. Of these complaints, 33 were able to be resolved immediately, while 68% of the remaining complaints have been closed and/or finalised, within a period of usually 1-2 weeks. Together, this represents a 70.7% success rate in resolving policing service delivery complaints.
The policing complaints centre deals with service delivery complaints lodged by members of the public against policing agency members, such as the South African Police Service and the Metropolitan Police Officers.
The complaints received vary in severity of adequate service delivery with 55% of the cases related to unacceptable behaviour, 16.77% as a result of poor response by the police and 14.9% due to poor communication from the police.
It is fantastic to see that the people of the province are using the opportunity to improve policing service delivery in their areas. More than 55% of complaints are received directly from the public by means of email (Policing.Complaints@westerncape.gov.za) and by telephone call (021 483 4332).
The police stations that recorded the most complaints are Mitchells Plain (36), Kleinvlei (19), Kraaifontein (16), Delft (16), as well as the Cape Town Central Station (15).
I will raise the quality of services received at the worst affected stations with the Provincial Commissioner at our next available meeting.
I urge the people of the Western Cape to keep holding the police at their local stations accountable through the complaints line but to also compliment the police on good service delivery when appropriate. We have to continuously work better together to improve safety in the province and cannot only blame the police when we are unhappy about their services.
Media enquiries:
Ewald Botha
Cell: 079 694 1113
