Referred to as: police station · Police Station
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It is normal IPID practice to advise complainants to first open a case at the police station and provide IPID with the case number before IPID investigates.
“It is a normal standard, because when they came to IPID, they were under the impression that they are coming to open a case with IPID, whereas IPID, we investigate cases after they have been opened at the police station”
Lieutenant Colonel Sibiya confirmed the bags seized were found laid in about two parking bays at the police station, not in a single parking bay.
“It is not a single parking bay. It looks like 2. It is 2 parking bays.”
It is possible for a police station or official to have no exhibit bags at all, and some police stations do not have forensic bags at all times.
“It is a possibility that a police station or any official or office member would not have any exhibit bag. ... Yes, it can happen. It does happen. Some police stations, they do not.”
The police station with responsibility for storing these exhibits could not store them properly and did not have exhibit bags, constituting significant anomalies and non-compliance with National Instructions.
“The very police station where these exhibits must be stored, for one reason or the other, cannot store them. Then the second point is they do not have exhibit bags, meaning a very important thing... according to the National Instructions, two things cannot happen, right? So would it not be prudent for that to be at least recorded somewhere?”
A person expressed serious concerns about the safety of exhibits due to extra movement around his police station.
“he had serious concerns about the safety of these exhibits”
The drugs consignment of 554 kilograms of cocaine was not properly booked at a police station of origin, violating normal procedure that should trigger red flags for illicit trafficking.
“why was this not a red flag to you that they did not tell you that there is a police station of origin where the exhibits are originally booked and a case is opened with a case number? If they were just bringing to you consignment of Cocaine, 554 kilogrammes, without knowing the station of origin, then surely that should have raised issues with you because they could have been trafficking Cocaine illegally”
All property and exhibits seized must be entered in the SAP 13 register of the relevant police station where the crime was committed or property found, then transferred to the relevant unit and entered in the SAP 13 of that unit.
“All property and exhibits seized must be entered in the SAP 13 register of the relevant police station where the crime was committed or where the property was found and then transferred to the relevant unit and entered in the SAP 13 of the relevant unit”
Exhibit management is critical; improper management can be fatal to successful prosecutions. Exhibits must be sealed in forensic seal bags and entered in SAP13 registers at police stations where they were found or crime committed.
“Exhibit management is equally important. Improper exhibit management can be fatal to a successful prosecution ... All exhibits must be sealed in forensic seal bags with unique seal numbers before being removed from the crime scene ... All property and exhibits seized must be entered in the SAP13 register of the relevant police station where the crime was committed or where the property was found and then transferred to the relevant unit and entered in the SAP13 of the relevant unit”
Major Phiri uses multiple bank accounts for different purposes because his Standard Bank account is constantly hacked and he receives Police Station affidavits, so he prefers to have his money go to ABSA accounts.
“I am using ABSA, I am using Standard Bank for salary, but because at Standard Bank I am constantly being hacked and I am forever at the Police Station writing affidavits... all my money will go to ABSA, but it will not come here.”
Confiscated goods should be booked at the police station when necessary, but for certain items like explosives or animals alternative authorities like SPCA are involved.
“they are supposed to go to the police station or book it where it is necessary. For example, if you find explosives, you cannot take them to the police station. You call a relevant team to do that. If you find, for example, animals, it is the issue of SPCA.”
Senior police officers have a responsibility to assist the public by acting on information such as video footage from shopping centres and people expect assistance regardless of their relationship to the officers.
“it is the police station who should have acted and went there, and went to those shopping centres and get the video footage and follow up ... It is expected from ourselves to make sure that we assist the people ... people feel that if you report to a senior officer, you will be assisted.”