Opening a case with the police: Things you should know
Remember that the officer who takes your statement at the crime office is not the one who will investigate your case
A lot of cases are opened and closed at various police stations and as such, many people might think everyone knows the steps to follow when opening a case.
Well, that is not the case, as there are people who have never opened a case in their entire life before and know very little about the process.
Kempton Park SAPS has detailed the process at the police station.
• You approach a police officer at the community service centre.
• The officer will refer you to the crime officer where a statement will be obtained in private. You need to give your statement in detail to the police officer at the crime office.
• The police officer will then give you (the complainant) a case number e.g. 24/05/2018 on a small piece of paper. Keep the case number safe because you will need it for future enquiries or as reference.
• You (the complainant) will then be taken to the detectives.
• The detectives will interview you for further clarity on certain issues and a witness statement will be taken. Always bring witnesses, if possible, when opening a case, it will speed up the process.
• If the suspect is available, he must be arrested immediately (except for common assault and minor cases). Domestic violence cases must be treated as a serious crime.
• Remember that the officer who takes your statement at the crime office is not the one who will investigate your case. The detectives who interview you may also not be the ones who will handle your case.
• Your case docket will only be allocated to an investigating officer the following working day. This also means that if you open a case over the weekend, you will know your investigating officer on the Monday. Note that your case will receive immediate attention, whether it is reported during the week, weekend or after hours before it is allocated to the investigating officer.
• The investigating officer will either visit or call you once he has received the docket to continue with the investigation.
• Once the suspect/s is arrested and the witness statement/s obtained, the case is ready for court. Take note that normally on the first court date, it is not necessary for the complainant and witnesses to be at court. The reason is that the prosecutor must first check whether he has enough evidence.
• You can voice your concerns with your investigating officer. If you don’t know who your investigating officer is, use your case number to find out. If you are still not happy, you can approach or contact the detective commander, Col Lesetja Manewa, on 082 778 7923.
