GEORGE NEWS - The police detectives in the Garden Route area are carrying staggering caseloads, with figures showing individual officers handling anywhere between 20 and nearly 400 dockets each.
These figures lay bare the strain on local investigators who are expected to deliver justice while carrying increasingly heavy caseloads.
The numbers reflect the variety of crimes they investigate, from the most dockets belonging to serious and violent offences to economic crimes, robbery, fraud, assault, family violence, gender-based violence, inquests and drunk driving.
Some detectives have between 250 and 300 dockets to deal with, while others have between 170 and 230 cases. Even at the so-called 'lighter' end of the scale, officers are still juggling between nearly a hundred dockets at a time.
For those dealing with inquests (unexplained or unnatural deaths), the picture is just as bleak, with more than 180 inquest files stacked on desks alongside active criminal investigations.
With some detectives managing upward of 200 dockets on their own, it becomes clear why backlogs are growing and why there is immense pressure on the system.
The weight of these figures translates directly into human cost. Detectives investigating serious and violent crimes carry the burden of murders, rapes and assaults, often working late into the night. Sometimes without decent compensation.
"I currently have more than 100 dockets on hand. The colleague with the most is sitting with nearly 400. The pressure is immense. Not only from the sheer number of cases, but also from our own officers. I work serious and violent crimes, which means late-night callouts and endless overtime. Between Thembalethu, Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay courts, you simply can't get to everything."
Another detective described still carrying a murder case dating back to 2006 among his current active dockets. "The bulk of my cases are murders," he said.
The crushing workload has forced investigators into a form of 'triage policing', where the most urgent cases receive attention first while countless others pile up, swelling an already unmanageable backlog.
Is the system at a breaking point?
The problem is not unique to the district. According to reports, detectives in the Western Cape carry an average of more than 100 dockets each, already nearly three times the ideal caseload of 30 to 40.
Across the country, staff shortages are a critical factor. Thousands of detective posts remain vacant, while resignations outpace recruitment. High crime rates only add fuel to the fire, generating new cases daily for an already overstretched team.
A global perspective
By international standards, South African detectives are working under extraordinary pressure. In the UK and Germany, detectives typically work on 20 to 30 cases at a time. In the US, homicide detectives may handle only three to six cases a year.
The effect of these overloaded dockets is devastating. Investigations are delayed, evidence goes missing, and witnesses often lose faith in the system.
Forensic backlogs in DNA analysis, ballistics and toxicology add further delays, while shortages of vehicles, skilled investigators and modern technology cripple case progress.
Even once cases reach court, the bottlenecks continue. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and magistrate's courts struggle with backlogs, limited staff and restricted court time.
In many instances, prosecutions are withdrawn because of incomplete investigations or unavailable witnesses.
This begs the question: how long can detectives be expected to shoulder caseloads that would overwhelm even the best-resourced police forces in the world? Every docket left waiting is a victim left without closure, and every delay chips away at public trust in the justice system.
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