policing

The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has come out to condemn the intimidation of journalists as well as the confiscation of their footage by law enforcement officers.

This follows the incident in Alexandra during which Mozambican national, Emmanuel Sithole, was killed and as a result, SANEF has approached Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega, to raise their concerns over such incidents.

The South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) has condemned the reported manhandling of a journalist by police outside Parliament.

News24 reporter Jan Gerber says he was forced to delete pictures.

The incident came ahead of President Jacob Zuma's first oral reply session of the year, which will start shortly.

To read the article titled, “Journalist manhandled outside of parliament,” click here.
 

Police commissioner, Riah Phiyega, has rejected a South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) report ‘Broken Blue Line’ on police involvement in serious and violent crimes as ‘malicious’.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has rejected a report on police criminality, saying it was compiled and funded with ‘malicious intent’.

Phiyega objects to her photograph being used in the report, which links her leadership to high levels of criminality in the police, according to a sample studied.

The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) has launched an urgent application to overturn the suspension of Hawks commander lieutenant general, Anwa Dramat – as well as the appointment of the acting head, major general, Berning Ntlemeza.

Police Minister, Nathi Nhleko purported to suspend Dramat on 23 December 2014 and appointed Ntlemeza to act in his stead.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) says the recent dropping of high profile cases shows that there is no ‘sound relationship’ between the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS).

ISS senior researcher, Johan Burger, states that sometimes police rush to make arrests without gathering sufficient evidence because of public or political pressure.

Burger adds that in so-called ‘low profile’ cases, the level of incompetency as far as investigating is concern is worse than in ‘high profile’ cases.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) says that reports that the late Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa's family appointed private investigators to help solve his murder put pressure on police to do their best.

ISS senior researcher, Johan Burger, believes that in cases where there is national and international media interest, police will be more likely to put together special investigative teams.

Zimbabwean lawyers condemn reported assaults, deaths of suspects in police custody, as well as conditions in holding cells they dub unfit for human habitation.

During a parliamentary committee on human rights, president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe, Lloyd Mhishi, expresses that, “There have been disturbing reports of deaths in police custody and some of our members have reported that some of their clients have been assaulted or coerced to make confessions.”

The Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) says that instead of condoning ‘abusive behaviour’ on the part of metro police officers, senior Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JPMD) official should ensure that officers comply with the law.

JPSA national chairperson, Howard Dembovsky, urged JMPD management to adhere to its standing orders, and encourage officers to act like adults and responsible law enforcers, instead of thugs.

Several international law experts describe the decision by the South African Police Service (SAPS) not to investigate the torture of opposition activists in the run-up to the 2008 elections in Zimbabwe as ‘irrational and unreasonable’.
 

The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has expressed shock at the detention of a journalist, Sandiso Phaliso, by police in the Western Cape.

In a press statement, SANEF media freedom committee chairperson, Adriaan Basson, points out that, "This behaviour by officers of the South African Police Service is completely unacceptable."

Basson is of the view that Phaliso’s freedom of expression has been infringed by this incident, when he tried to expose officers neglecting their very basic duty of protecting communities.