SAPS commissioner Fannie Masemola has revealed that 94 firearms were confiscated from officers facing domestic violence charges over a six-month period between October 2022 and March this year.
The number of confiscated firearms declined compared to the 166 seized in the period between April and September 2022.
“A total number of 94 firearms were seized from members identified as alleged perpetrators of domestic violence for the period 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.
“The 85 in question had been allocated to members on their personal equipment inventory and nine additional private firearms were seized from the members,” Masemola said.
Masemola revealed these statistics in a bi-annual report tabled to the Parliament last week in line with the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act, which provides for SAPS to report officers that contravened the law, action taken against the officers and the names of victims of domestic violence.
His report showed that Gauteng had the highest number of officers that had their firearms confiscated at 29, followed by Western Cape with 21 and Free State with 13.
Masemola said 186 police officers were identified as perpetrators of domestic violence in 110 police stations during the same period.
There were 73 officers from 21 police stations that were victims of domestic violence.
Masemola’s report showed that Western Cape led the pack with officers being both victims and perpetrators.
There were 77 alleged SAPS members who were perpetrators of domestic violence in 44 stations while 39 were victims in at least 21 police stations.
Gauteng came second with 49 perpetrators in 30 stations and 11 victims in 11 stations, followed by Free State with 23 perpetrators in 13 stations and nine victims in nine stations. Limpopo recorded 10 perpetrators and six victims, Eastern Cape nine perpetrators and one victim.
Masemola said 51 complaints related to the officers’ conduct during the performance of their work were received during the period.
The complaints ranged from failure to serve a protection order to failing to confiscate a firearm from an alleged perpetrator of domestic violence and failure to complete forms relating to domestic violence processes.
There were 40 complaints for failing to complete domestic violence forms in the Western Cape.
Masemola’s report stated that 21 officers were under investigation for serious charges, six were given verbal warnings, three were given final warnings, one a final written warning, and remedial steps were taken after initial interview in 20 cases.
He also said there were regular inspections of the relevant registers and forms to monitor compliance by members as part of monitoring.
“Minor incidents of non-compliance are rectified immediately. Members are encouraged to ensure compliance during station lectures and on/off parades.”
According to Masemola, there were 39 disciplinary proceedings that were reported during the preceding period between April and September 2022.
In the Western Cape, 28 disciplinary proceedings were conducted with 22 related to failure to complete the domestic violence forms, one was linked to failure to serve a protection order and five were for failure to assist a complainant to open a case.
Gauteng recorded one disciplinary hearing involving failure to render satisfactory service to a victim as having been withdrawn and four others were withdrawn for failure to complete a domestic violence form.
Northern Cape also had four cases involving failure to serve protection orders and a failure to assist a complainant to open a case.
The Free State had two cases linked to failure to fill the domestic violence form.
Masemola said there was a steering committee on gender-based violence which held quarterly meetings to monitor implementation and that an inter-divisional forum met monthly to address identified implementation gaps.
He also said there was a joint capacity work session between SAPS and Civilian Secretariat for Police Service that focused on station commanders, visible policing commanders and relief commanders.
Cape Times