Jeppe SAPS brings NPA to the people

The Jeppe CPF is bringing the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to the people.

A meeting was recently held by the Jeppe CPF together with the NPA to discuss concerns raised by the community at sector crime forum meetings.

The meeting was also attended by SAPS and JMPD members, councillors and ward safety committee members.

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Issues addressed at the meeting included the functioning of the courts, the criteria for granting suspects bail, the quality of dockets that are thrown out of court, the perceived collusion between police and court officials, and what recourse the community has if they are not happy with a court ruling.

“I’m happy that the NPA is willing to work with the community and avail themselves to address these issues,” said Jeppe CPF chairperson Zola Dambula. “Creating this relationship with the Department of Justice is a step in the right direction of serving the community better.”

He said the meeting was very informative and educational.

“We agreed in the meeting that there is a need for education in our community regarding these issues. We agreed to take the NPA on an imbizo throughout the entire Jeppe SAPS policing precinct in order for them to engage with the community.”

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According to Dambula, knowing how the courts function will save community members from being given the run-around when they seek redress over how their cases are handled.

“They will know whom to approach. No more sweeping things under the carpet,” said Dambula.

Phindi Louw, regional manager for the Directorate of Public Prosecutions South Gauteng, said they had decided to interact with various CPFs in order to improve transparency and foster a better understanding of the criminal justice system.

“The fight against crime is not a battle for few but a battle that the whole society must confront.”

She said education is needed because there is a lack of understanding of the prosecution system and its procedures.

“The NPA is intending to cut the middleman and have transparency. The NPA wants to be proactive, not to be reactional to the community’s crime issues. This initiative of meeting with the CPF is not a once-off event but an introduction to creating a relationship between the CPF, the community and the NPA.”

Louw said the community should know that the CPF and prosecutors are available to assist and clarify on any matter that is before the courts. At the same time, the community needs to understand that crime affects everyone and that they have to come on board and play their role.

“We all have a responsibility to fight crime and make crime a non-viable option,” Louw said. “It works more like a relay race, with the NPA being in most cases the last runner in the race.

“The community member who reports matters to the police and becomes a witness is the first step. The second step is the police officers who collect evidence. The third is the NPA, and the NPA cannot win without witnesses making statements and being available to testify.

“We rely on the community to stand up against crime, to report crime and to be available to testify.”

Louw said the office of the chief prosecutor in Johannesburg has realised there are challenges with the successful prosecution of certain cases, and recognised the need to up-skill law enforcement officials so that the dockets they present in court are of a sufficiently high quality as to improve conviction rates.

“We have initiated a checklist for all narcotics cases. This a simple mechanism that police officers can use as a reference list to check that all that is required for the prosecution of a narcotics case is attended to before the matter is brought to court,” Louw said.

“We have also introduced a similar system for dockets for driving under the influence of intoxicating substances.”

The first training session has been conducted for members of the JMPD on various matters relating to law enforcement and the preparation of dockets for court. The second round of training for more members of the JMPD is scheduled for December.

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