By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert
With several South African Police Services (SAPS) members alleged to be involved in criminal activities, the Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile has called for the men in blue to wear body cameras so that they can be held accountable for their misconduct.
Patekile has warned SAPS members to refrain from acting outside the law, saying as painful as it is to arrest their own, police will not hesitate to do so.
Speaking on VOC Breakfast, Jeremy Veary of the Cape Crime Coalition said this was a step in the right direction if used correctly.
“The body cams are used globally, and it is deemed a success as it records observations accurately. Police members have to give written statements from a crime scene and body cams would assist as you would have an accurate visual range of what was seen, heard and done, but if the aim of body cams implemented in the province is to monitor the whereabouts of members, then it bears no fruit,” he stressed.
Veary further said concerns are rife that members would switch body cams on and off and said measures should be implemented to prevent this from happening.
“It should be a criminal offense to do this because once you switch it off, it means you are either committing a crime or protecting someone else,” he added.
Listen to full audio below:
