E Cape leashes in dog units

2003-09-17 11:57

East London - New legislation regarding the use of police dogs is playing into the hands of criminals, with arrests made by dog unit members here at an all-time low.

The directive to police forbidding use of dogs to seek and catch criminals was issued under section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act in August.

Police dogs may now be used against individuals only when police lives are at stake, which is similar to the restriction on use of police guns.

According to provincial police spokesperson Marinda Mills, the instruction was issued as a result of court cases resulting from suspects being injured when caught by police dogs.

The Daily Dispatch could not confirm the number of cases involved.

Mills said the instruction issued in the Eastern Cape was to make police aware of what had been happening in terms of recent court cases.

Nervous about releasing dogs

"Members are still allowed to release their dogs, but they must monitor and evaluate circumstances carefully before resorting to this," said Mills.

According to police statistics, no fleeing suspect caught by a police dog in the Eastern Cape has had life-threatening injuries.

Other provinces apparently have not been affected by the instruction and dog handlers are believed to be still using patrol dogs to track and catch fleeing suspects.

A source, who asked not to be named, said the new legislation resulted in numerous criminals escaping.

"We are scared to release our dogs, so suspects flee and fewer arrests are made.

"The situation has affected morale as well - we do not know what the consequences will be if we release our dogs".

Dog-unit members here are believed to be responsible for 200 to 300 arrests every month.

Arrests made with the use of police dogs range from housebreaking to theft from vehicles and possession of stolen goods.

According to the source, the number of arrests made last month dropped to below 100 as a result of the instruction.

Dog-unit members said they did not feel safe anymore, and this added to an already low morale.

"If we release our dogs, they either catch the suspect or at least point out where he or she may be hiding.

"At the moment, this is not happening, and we feel our lives are in danger at every turn."

Always dangers lurking

Thos who commented said they would still protect the community to the best of their ability.

Mills said she did not believe the instruction had a major influence on the safety of police officers.

"There will always be dangers lurking and police officers need to become more alert in extreme circumstances."

Mills said although police were not allowed to release statistics, "arrests made by dog-unit members had possibly decreased because of the instruction".

The instruction may be revoked by national police headquarters, she said.

"We are waiting for a legal opinion from the office of the national commissioner in terms of the use of police dogs in tracking suspects."

- SAPA