Overwhelmed cops an insult to victims of crime

SOUTH Africa’s criminal justice system stands at a perilous crossroads. With a staggering 1.9 million case dockets languishing in police files, and detectives reportedly burdened with up to 500 dockets each, the system has become paralysed. It is overwhelmed by the sheer weight of the volume of cases and under-resourced in capacity.

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Police Minister Senzo Mchunu rightly described the backlog as “untenable”, but his words alone will offer little comfort to the victims of crime whose already laborious path to justice is indefinitely delayed.

The figures speak of a systemic collapse. Only 15.1% of SAPS personnel are assigned to detective duties — far below the already inadequate 20% target. Compounding the crisis is the concerning lack of experience among recruits, many of whom are thrust into detective roles without sufficient training or mentorship.