How to open a case at the police station
Here's a step-by-step process on how to open a case at a police station.
Many residents remain unsure about the procedure to open a case at the police station.
In the interests of public knowledge, Rekord publishes what complainants have to do to register a case.
At the community service office, also known as the charge office, the complainant will be interviewed by a police officer for the basic details of the crime before the officer takes the complaint’s statement.
The complainant must read this statement before signing it.
A police officer may visit the crime scene, where possibly more statements could be obtained. The reported crime will then be registered on the crime administration system (CAS).
A CAS number will be given to the complainant by SMS which must be used for all enquiries regarding the reported case.
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Detectives at the crime office can interview the complainant further for clarity on certain matters. Witness statements will be obtained if available.
It will speed up the investigation process if witnesses could accompany the complainant to the police station to give their statements.
If the suspect is known and available s/he can be arrested immediately (except for assault common and minor cases). Domestic violence cases are treated as a serious crime.
The person who is taking the statement is not the one who will investigate the case.
The completed case docket is allocated to a police detective on the following working day. S/he will phone or visit the complainant once the docket is received.
All enquiries can be directed to this detective. The detective in charge of the case will complete the investigation and present the docket to the relevant court for prosecution.
If you are a victim of crime, you are entitled to receive continuous feedback on your case. Any changes to addresses or contact details must be communicated to the investigation officer to make feedback possible.
When the case is handed to the prosecutor s/he will consider the facts of every case carefully and may decide to prosecute if there is sufficient evidence or may instruct the investigating officer to further investigate the case or withdraw charges for various reasons.
The detective will notify the complainant when s/he has to attend the court hearing.
Normally it is not necessary for the complainant and the witness to be at court on the first day.
If any member of the community is not satisfied with the investigation process or with the service from the police they can approach the head of detectives or the station commander.
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Information with regards to crime can be given to the police anonymously by phoning 08600 10111 or by sending an SMS to 32211.
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