In a bid to improve police transparency, civil rights group Corruption Watch have launched an online tool to enable the public to rate police stations and report corruption or abuse within the South African Police Service (Saps).
Veza, which translates to “reveal or expose” was introduced on February 17 by the non-profit organisation in response to the whistle-blower complaints it has received from the public on police corruption.
The tool is the first of its kind in SA and is aimed at giving citizens the power to hold the Saps accountable.
Head of stakeholder relations and campaigns at Corruption Watch, Kavisha Pillay said since Corruption Watch’s inception in 2012, innovation has been central to their approach in addressing systemic and pervasive corruption in the country.
“The launch of the Veza tool signifies a new era for Corruption Watch, as we explore how transparency, big data and accessible technology can be used to combat corruption and advance broader social justice issues,” she said.
Pillay said Veza will also provide an opportunity for Saps and other government structures to embrace the concept of open data and public access to information.
“Members of the police service could themselves benefit by gaining valuable insight into the allocation and use of resources of their own police stations.”
Veza provides information at national, provincial and district level. The location of Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units are also provided.
The online tool features interactive maps of police corruption trends and hotspots and enables users to rate and review police stations based on personal experiences, to compare resources of up to 4 stations, to commend honest and ethical police officers, and to report incidents of corruption and police misconduct.
All 1 150 police stations across the country are included. At the time of writing the Courier looked at data for Tongaat, Umhlali and KwaDukuza Saps. According to Veza the budget of Umhlali Saps was R3.96 million, serving a population of 92 000.
Tongaat Saps had a budget of R3.04 million serving 79.690 citizens while KwaDukuza Saps had a budget of R10.26 million to serve a population of 82 000.
Of the 3 stations Umhlali Saps was the only one to have been given a rating so far. The Veza tool can be accessed at veza.org.za.
