DA demands full Judicial Commission of Inquiry into police brutality

The latest incident of police brutality resulting in the tragic and senseless death of two protestors in the North West province yesterday further highlights the need for President Jacob Zuma to establish a full Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the high incidences of police brutality in South Africa.

The DA will today write to President Zuma demanding that he establish a full Judicial Commission of Inquiry. 

• The Commission of Inquiry needs to investigate the following:
• The root causes of police brutality in South Africa;
• The culture of brutality in our police services and the impact of lack of accountability;
• The effects on the conduct by police offices by the militarisation of South African Police Service (SAPS); and
• Solutions to address and significantly lower incidences of police brutality. 

The DA's previous pleas for an inquiry were dismissed by President Zuma. He claimed that police brutality incidents were isolated and "the incidents we condemn are very few". 

President Zuma is wrong. Police brutality is a rampant problem in South Africa that needs to be strongly dealt with. According to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) brutality cases recorded against police officers increased by 313% between 2001/2 to 2011/12. 

President Zuma cannot continue to bury his head in the sand while some police continue to terrorise the public. 

It is deplorable that South Africans fear both criminals and police alike. This cannot continue. President Zuma must act with urgency. The safety of our people is at stake. 

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, January 14 2014

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