POPCRU to picket over ‘sexual assaults’ at SAPS academies
Members of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union will on Thursday picket outside the SAPS Academy in Moloto near KwaMhlanga to voice their frustration at incidents of sexual assault.
Incidents of sexual assault have come to light at several police academies around the country.
In one of the incidents, a police instructor has been arrested for allegedly raping a 20-year-old police trainee in his office at the training academy in Pretoria West in March.
READ MORE: SAPS trainer arrested for the alleged rape of trainee.
The union’s Richard Mamabolo said that POPCRU has been embarking on a series of pickets to highlight the issue.
“POPCRU has received disturbing allegations suggesting that certain SAPS training institutions have become breeding grounds for unchecked sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse. These pickets serve not only as a voice of protest, but as a call for systemic change.
Mamabolo said the union wants immediate investigations into all reported and unreported cases of sexual abuse at SAPS training facilities.
“POPCRU demands the implementation of comprehensive, trauma-informed sexual harassment and abuse prevention policies that are enforceable and transparent and Protection mechanisms for whistleblowers and victims who come forward.”
He added that SAPS should establish a mandatory training and sensitisation programme for all staff and commanders interacting with trainees.
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