Abuse of authority, bribery, sextortion and moonlighting as bodyguards for drug dealers are some of the allegations being investigated against the police.
Melusi Ncala, acting lead coordinator for stakeholder relations and campaigns of Corruption Watch, said 10% of the cases reported to them were related to corrupt police officers in the country.
The organisation monitors and exposes acts of corruption.
He said the types of reported cases against police were abuse of authority, bribery, sextortion and extortion, with most of the complaints received from Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
“The predominant cases coming through are petty forms of corruption mainly on the street level at roadblocks and when people try to open cases. We have also received complaints of dockets going missing.”
He said the abuse of authority stemmed from violent attacks on the public and when police officers misused their badges.
“Protecting or moonlighting as bodyguards for drug dealers is common in the country and is an example of how police officers misuse their badges. Sextortion, although a fairly new complaint, is also a problem. Women are the main victims. The sextortion involves sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and sexual favours in return for a police officer to help with cases that are either related to domestic abuse or general crime.
“The reason for corruption in law enforcement is due to leadership. There are many that believe that the running of the police should not be left with one person. There is a culture of not viewing police services as human rights. Police don’t see themselves as a service to the community. We also need to include a human rights framework into police training so police understand they are serving the community.”
He said in order to solve the issue of corruption, police should just do their jobs.
“When the public come to the station to open cases they expect efficiency from the police and they expect to be treated with sympathy and understanding. They want their matters to be investigated and for the police to provide feedback and be accountable for the investigations.”
Ncala said in most instances people have a negative view of the police even before they step into a station.
“This needs to change. Police need to connect with communities and show visibility through visible policing. This will enable them to gain the support of the community.”
Okkie Terblanche, DA MP and Shadow Deputy Minister of Police, said according to a report submitted to the Portfolio Committee on Police recently, between April and September last year, 165 SAPS members were identified as alleged perpetrators of domestic violence.
“According to the Civilian Secretariat for Police (CSPS), some 84 firearms, 79 of which were SAPS-issued, were seized from these members following the allegations. They are the very officers who are charged with keeping us all safe and secure.”
Terblanche said Bheki Cele, the Minister of Police, continued to show he was incompetent to manage policing in South Africa.
“The DA will not accept the mediocrity of the ANC in managing the SAPS and will be submitting questions to the Minister to find out whether each of these 165 officers has been fired and charged, and if not, how does the Minister justify continuing to employ persons who are meant to protect women and children from domestic abuse, not cause it.”
Yusuf Abramjee, an anti-crime activist, said corruption had been a problem for some time and indications were that it was getting worse.
“Corruption within the ranks of the SAPS could be attributed to various reasons including greed, low salaries and pure criminality. Criminal cops are continuing to extort money from illegal foreigners to ensure that dockets disappear.”
Abramjee said the police’s anti-corruption unit must be strengthened.
“Those implicated in corruption need to be not only suspended but arrested, charged and convicted. Lifestyle audits especially for officers from the rank of warrant officer upwards need to have regular lifestyle audits. This should be extended to all in time to come.”
He said the courts must also come down on corruption.
Mary de Haas, a violence monitor, said the corruption in the police was systemic.
“It has always been a factor but it has just escalated after 2009. A lot of the people getting appointed into the police are buying their way into it. We had evidence of this last year that people who passed the test to become constables to go to police college had actually bribed their way in. Some of the people that should have been in and accepted like reservists were not accepted although they passed the tests. We sent all the evidence to IPID and nothing was done about it.”
She said an investigator who was dealing with the complaint was taken off the case before he could arrest people.
“Before 2009 there was more accountability and more transparency but it just disappeared after 2009. They all promote each other behind closed doors and most people who get to management get to where they are because of who they know, who they have sexual intercourse with and who they have dirt on. There is also political interference on who gets promoted. It is one big mess.”
De Haas said there were a lot of good police officers.
“I am dealing with police whose lives are in grave danger because they are doing good work, standing for the truth and that good work is exposing criminals who are working with politicians. This is the other reason for the corruption.”
She said the other problem was police being bought off by taxi mafia and drug lords.
“They are taking kickbacks from the taxi mafia and drug lords. Corruption is huge.”
Phaladi Shuping, the spokesperson for The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), said they were investigating a substantial number of cases that fell within their mandate.
“We are challenged when it comes to capacity but there is good work that is being done by our investigators. These cases when finalised are sent for prosecutions.”
The Police Ministry declined to comment and referred POST to the police.
The police and the National Prosecuting Authority did not comment at the time of publication.