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The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the prospect of a new Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit being set up in Atlantis during this financial year.

This has been indicated by the Ministry of Community Safety, following correspondence with the Provincial Police Commissioner's office, and comes after many requests from the DA for additional support in Atlantis to curb incidents of rape and indecent assault of both women and children. The letter also gives assurances that shortages at the Atlantis Detective Service are being addressed and that the Detective Branch will be capacitated during this period.

A copy of the correspondence follows below.

With the campaign 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children having ended last week, we reiterate our call on the Minister of Police to speed up the process and to announce exactly by when all FCS units in the country will be re-established. The DA has repeatedly, since 2006, advocated for the reintroduction of these units, but the minister has not yet set out a clear proposal for how and when they will be reintroduced.

The DA wants further steps to be taken to ensure the South African Police Service (SAPS) provides adequate support for victims of domestic violence and abuse. These include:

Training for police officials to be improved. As many as three out of four complaints of domestic violence are not being recorded properly or at all. The Auditor General's Report found that only 10.7% SAPS members attended Domestic Violence Programmes and 1.2% attended the Victim Empowerment Programme in 2007;
More victim support rooms (VSRs) are needed at police stations. A parliamentary reply to a DA question revealed that out of 1116 police stations, 321 (or 26%) VSRs still need to be established.

I will be posing parliamentary questions at the next possible opportunity to establish what the Minister of Police is doing to improve training and attendance of domestic violence courses, and what the deadline will be in establishing the remaining 321 VSRs.


Your reference / U verwysing

My reference no. / My verwysing nr.

Enquiries / Navrae

Tel. no. / Tel. nr.
MCS 3/3/1/3/3 (2009/14921)

3/1/5/1/324

Acting Prov Comm Burger
Senior Superintendent Pamplin

021 417 7338
021 467 8304 THE PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER
DIE PROVINSIALE KOMMISSARIS

WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE
WES-KAAP PROVINSIE

2009.11.30

The Ministry of Community Safety
PO Box 5346
CAPE TOWN
8000

SPECIAL SEXUAL OFFENCES UNIT AND UNDERSTAFFING, ATLANTIS

1. The South African Police Service has already identified the need for a Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS Unit) in Milnerton Cluster to be situated in Atlantis.

2. Efficiency Service has been tasked to conduct a feasibility study which is already at an advanced stage.

3. Several members interested to be placed at FCS Unit Atlantis, currently at Elsies River Unit who is servicing Atlantis, have already been identified in line with the National FCS mandate.

4. Combating and investigating of crimes against women and children is one of the priorities of the South African Police Service and everything possible is being done to expedite the establishment of an FCS Unit in Atlantis.

5. It is envisaged that the proposed FCS Unit would become operational during the current financial year. Shortages at the Detective Service are being addressed and the Detective Branch would also be capacitated during this period.

(signed)
ACTING PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER: SAPS: WESTERN CAPE
H BURGER
ACPP/jjwf