South Africa: Avoiding crime part2 (Reporting crime)

The first thing that I wish to make clear is that South Africa is not a safe country to visit. The crime statistic for the country shows this clearly. Official government statistics are for the most part also misleading and even manipulated to make things look better than it actually is. The fact that government and the police are actually fiddling the statistics is reported regularly in the news media as well.

Please visit my blog, where I report on crime happening in the country. Here you will get some specific on cases reported in the mainstream media.

Http://white-southafrican.blogspot.com

Important information that all visitors should know

SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE EMERGENCY NUMBER 10111

• 10111 is the phone number in case of a police emergency.
• Prank call to the emergency number 10111, will lead to prosecution
• The nearest police station may be phoned for general enquiries
• The phone number of the local police station must be known by heart.

SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE CRIME STOP 08600 10111

• Use this number if you know of any crimes that will take place.
• The Crime Stop centre operates seven days a week, 24-hours a day.
• You may remain anonymous when you are reporting a crime.

Reporting a crime to the SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

• Any crime victims should immediately report the crime at the nearest police station.
• Complainants will be assisted by a police official at the Community Service Centre.
• A police official may attend the crime scene and may take statements from the victim and/or witnesses
• Before a statement is taken by the police official, the complainant will be interviewed.
• The report will then register on the Crime Administration System (CAS).
• The complainant will then be given a CAS number. This number may be used for further follow-up or inquiries
• A police detective will be assigned the docket and will carry out the investigation. This detective maybe contacted for any more information regarding the case.
• After completing the investigation the detective will present the docket to the relevant court for prosecution.
• The complainant will be notified if/when when he/she has to attend the court hearing.
• As a victim of crime, you are entitled to receive continuous feedback on your case and to know who the investigating official is.

General advice on the South African Police Service

It should be noted that South African Police Service are severely understaffed. There has also been a huge loss of experienced personnel since 1994, leading to a huge drop in solved cases and successful prosecutions.

The members are also now unionized and this has led to a situation where they actually go on strikes and work strictly to the rules as set out between employer (state) and unions. Most South Africans have lost a lot of trust in the service of the police and they make use of private security firms to keep themselves safe.

It is reported regularly that the police failed to respond to a crime, simply as no vehicles were available. Some police officers are not even licensed to operate a vehicle at all. Language barriers might also be a problem, especially for visitors who do not speak English. Even English speaking visitors may encounter this, as many police members from the African community, do not speak good English at all. Should you get into such a situation, it would be best to immediately asked for another officer to assist you. It is also a good idea to have a local (your host) with you, when reporting a crime.

I would strongly advise women never to visit a police station on their own. Several cases have been reported where women have been raped in police stations. Some have been raped by police members and some while in custody.

A good idea might also be to always have the number of a trusted police officer on your cellular phone. In the event that you become the victim of a crime or have any run-inn with the police, you should then use this number, asking the officer to assist you. Also keep the number and contact details of your host with you and make use of this in case of any emergency.

Do not ever allow any police member to take your cellular phone from you. This might be your only means of communication.