Murder and robbery unit to boost SAPS crime fighting capability, says Institute
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has welcomed confirmation by National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole that the specialised murder and robbery unit will be re-established within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Sitole told TV news channel Enca on Wednesday that the murder and robbery unit has already started their work.
In reaction, ISS researcher Johan Burger says he has been calling for many years for this unit to be brought back.
He adds that the absence of such a unit is possibly the reason why murder and aggravated robbery have seen an increase over the past eight years.
“Part of the responsibilities of the murder and robbery units were carried over to the serious and violent crimes unit.
“In 2006 he (former National Police Commissioner,Jackie Selebi) decentralised the serious and violent crimes unit which was destroyed and meant we no longer had any specialised capacity to investigate murder and robbery cases,” says Burger.
In 2001, the Brixton murder and robbery unit was disbanded by the late Selebi after its members were accused of torturing suspects during investigations.
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This was confirmed by National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole during an interview with Enca yesterday. "I have realised that the conviction rate is not at the level of the expectation of the community, this is not what the public want to see.