Mbalula wants police stations to do more in fight against abuse
Police minister Fikile Mbalula is set to launch a new policy that he believes will improve the police’s response to gender-based violence.
He was briefing the media on the assault case against the Deputy Minister of Higher Education Mduduzi Manana.
Mbalula says police stations are struggling to deal with cases involving violence against women.
He claims to have assisted over 5000 women who reported cases of abuse to police stations several times and were not assisted.
“There is something wrong in terms of the administering of justice at a police station level. You cannot have a person report abuse more than five times at a police station and the matter is not taken seriously,” he says.
Mbalula admits gender prejudice is a serious problem at police stations.
“When a woman goes to report at a police station there is a police officer who is a man says:' You just wait there'. In most instances investigators have got cosy relationships with perpetrators,” he says.
Mbalula says the new policy will focus on creating a dialogue between police officers, with a goal of treating victims of crime with more care.