Just one Family, Child and Sexual Crime unit for every 6.5 police stations
14 June 2017
The DA is deeply concerned by data released today showing that on average just one in every 6.5 SAPS Stations around South Africa have Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offence (FCS) units.
This shocking statistic is contained in in a report tabled by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) entitled ‘Struggling to meet the ends of justice: Assessing Departmental Responses to CGE findings on the Victims Charter.’
Minister Mbalula has recently made many comments about the SAPS commitment to addressing the extremely high levels of violence against women and children, yet the fact that approximately one in six police stations have a FCS unit does not support his claims. In light of the current crisis of domestic violence and sexual offences, the DA believes there should be more FCS units, especially in hotspot areas.
These units are vital as they are the spearhead of investigating any reported child abuse or exploitation, rape and domestic abuse, to ensure that victims receive justice for the hurt of the ordeals they have been through at the hands of perpetrators, who are made to face the consequences of their criminality through convictions.