Language barriers, poor phone etiquette top complaints against Cape cops

Language barriers and poor telephone etiquette topped the list of complaints lodged with the office of the Western Cape Police Ombud. Picture: Gary van Wyk/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Cape Town - Language barriers and poor telephone etiquette topped the list of complaints lodged with the office of the Western Cape Police Ombud (WCPO), which received a total of 433 complaints during the 2018/19 financial year.

Ombudsman Johan Brand said the category of “poor communication” involved accusations that “incorrect information had been supplied, there had been a lack of telephone etiquette, failure to provide feedback, as well as language barriers”.

Altogether, from the WCPO’s launch in 2015 to March 31 this year, the office had received 1885 complaints . The figures are contained in the WCPO’s latest annual report, which was presented to the standing committee on community safety in the provincial legislature on Thursday.

“Unacceptable behaviour” listed in the report refers to complaints of the breach of SAPS regulations. This includes, “endangering the lives of others by disregarding safety rules, misusing one’s position in the service, sleeping on duty and being under the influence of intoxicating, illegal, unauthorised, habit-forming drugs, including alcohol”.

Blue Downs, one of the top 10 SAPS clusters in the province, had a total of 58 complaints. Of these, 22 and 14, respectively, were for poor communication and unacceptable behaviour.

Khayelitsha had 57 complaints, including 10 about poor investigation and four regarding a poor response. Mitchells Plain came in third, with a total of 56 complaints, while the Cape Town SAPS totted up 44 complaints. The WCPO head office received 16 complaints, as did the Winelands. At 13, Overberg had the fewest complaints, three of them of poor investigation. The ombud listed nine categories of complaints, and since the 2014/15 financial year there had been 581 complaints of poor communication and 317 of poor investigation.

According to the report, complaints resolved by agreement, negotiation or conciliation were considered to have been concluded. Complaints deemed to be “frivolous or vexatious” were rejected and also considered to have been concluded. In addition, the report said: “If, after the conclusion of an investigation it is found that there is police inefficiency or a breakdown in relations that cannot be resolved, the ombud must submit recommendations of his findings to the MEC for Community Safety to sort out and, having done so, inform the complainant.”

“If the ombud decides not to initiate an investigation, he must inform the complainant of the decision and the reasons behind it. “Citizens are encouraged to lodge complaints by fax, e-mail, via the website, telephonically and in person at our offices.”