0.1% of police checked for sex offences

The national register for sex offenders lists more than 32 000 names but only a tiny number of police have been screened against it

- Umamah Bakharia

Build One South Africa (Bosa) has condemned the South African Police Service (SAPS) for what it describes as “dangerous negligence” after the revelation that less than 0.14% of police officers have been screened against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO).

Responding to a question in parliament posed by Bosa's deputy leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu disclosed that only 245 members of the police service's 180 000 workforce have been screened against the register.

This amounts to fewer than one in every 700 officers being vetted for possible sexual offences.

The disclosure comes as South Africa continues to contend with one of the world's highest rates of sexual violence. In the 2023-24 financial year alone, more than 42700 rapes were reported — an average of more than 117 a day.

The total number of sexual offences recorded stood at 54885.

"This lack of oversight is staggering and undermines any public trust in SAPS's ability to protect the most vulnerable," Bosa spokesperson Roger Solomons said in a statement.

"When the very people tasked with enforcing the law are not properly vetted, we create fertile ground for abuse and impunity within the police service," he said.