HIGHVELD – Mr Vusi Shongwe, MEC for the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, said the establishment of the Provincial Efficiency Enhancement Committees (PEECs) by Constitutional Chief Justice, Mr Mogoeng Mogoeng, would contribute towards reducing crime while addressing case backlogs.
His comments follow the establishment of PEECs by Mr Mogoeng in the Western Cape High Court last week.
The committees are among others expected to improve performance in courts, help with improving the performance of the judicial system and the performance of prosecutors.
Mr Shongwe believes that the speedy resolved of cases would enhance conviction rates and this would help in restoring communities’ faith in the criminal justice system.
It would also ensure that criminals are put behind bars.
Mr Shongwe explained that the delay in finalising cases usually subject victims of crime to secondary victimisation and sometimes cases that would have been won are lost because of unnecessary delays.
“Speedy resolved of crime cases would further have a bearing on the public image of the police because failure of our courts to swiftly resolve cases creates the impression that the police are not doing their work.”
The committees will be made up of representatives from the police, National Prosecuting Authority, the departments of Correctional Services and Justice and Constitutional Development.
