Police warn residents about mob justice
"With mob justice, they know if they are caught, there will be fatal consequences," residents claim.
Police are warning residents not to participate in mob justice as this can land them in hot water.
The warning comes after two men were arrested for allegedly being involved in a mob justice incident that happened in Dubai informal settlement on March 8.
The men were arrested by the Soshanguve police tracing unit on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Nhlanhla Zondi said police were called to the scene by people who saw a body lying on the ground.
Zondi said it was alleged that the victim was beaten by a mob seeking justice, however, residents were mum as to why.
“The investigations were done and the tracing unit managed to trace the suspects until the arrest was made. The arrested suspects were detained on Tuesday and are expected to appear in court soon.”
Residents of Dubai informal settlement are however blaming the police for not dealing with crime in the area adequately.
They said criminals tend to behave when they know that death will be the only outcome if they are caught doing a crime.
“People are not afraid of being arrested because they know they will get bail or they can pay a fine and be let go. With mob justice, they know if they are caught, there will be fatal consequences. This makes them afraid of doing crimes,” they said.
“Police are also not proactive in our community which leads to the community members taking the law into their own hands.”
Another resident, Fiona Maake, said the community is fed up with crime and this is the reason they end up taking matters into their own hands.
“People are angry because they work hard for their things only for them to be taken by criminals who end up selling them for drugs. People have also lost faith in the justice system hence they end up practicing mob justice.”
Zondi said if a person who is suspected to have done a crime is apprehended by the community, they should immediately call the police instead of taking the law into their own hands.
“Do not justify your actions, people want to justify their actions when they are angry, they then say police are not doing their jobs.
“There are various community meetings that are held by police and the CPF to inform people what to do if they catch a suspect.”
Zondi said residents should be aware that they can be criminally charged for participating in mob justice.
“No one is above the law, you will be arrested for participating, and everything that people do should be in accordance with the law.”
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