GEORGE NEWS - Since its establishment in December 2014, the offices of the Western Cape Police Ombudsman (WCPO) have received 32 complaints from the Eden area.
The ombudsman, Adv. Vusi Pikoli, visited the Eden Cluster on 18 July. The purpose of the visit was part of the ongoing outreach efforts to build and enhance stakeholder relations and to share the mandate of the WCPO with the cluster.
The Eden Cluster visit was followed by an outreach to the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court and concluded with a visit to the Mossel Bay (Da Gamaskop) Cluster on 20 July.
Deidré Foster, deputy director of Communication at the WCPO, commented, "Our office has met with communities, community policing forums, magistrate's courts, and police clusters across the Western Cape as part of our outreach efforts to ensure that communities and police understand our role and mandate. In addition to our outreach, we have a radio advert which is currently being flighted across the Western Cape."
Complaints received from Eden
According to Foster, 32 is not an exorbitant number of complaints, but it is enough to demand attention. "From some clusters we have received only one complaint, but from others there were more than 80 complaints," she told the George Herald.
In the 2014/2015 financial year five complaints were received, in 2015/2016 14 complaints made its way to the WCPO and in 2016/2017 13 complaints were lodged. The WCPO seeks to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the police services and to improve relations between the police and the communities by investigating complaints of police inefficiency and /or a breakdown of relations between the police and any community.
To lodge a complaint with the WCPO, visit their website at www.westerncape.gov.za/police-ombudsman/ or phone them on 021 483 0669.
At the time of going to print no comment had been received from the Southern Cape Police Spokesperson, Capt Malcolm Pojie.
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