Cops implicated in jail breaks
2006-06-06 14:08
Nelspruit - In the past five years, 1 788 people have escaped from custody in Mpumalanga, according the Democratic Alliance.
Only 30% of the escapees were re-arrested.
"This is highly unacceptable," said provincial DA leader, Clive Hatch.
He said some policemen were implicated in the escapes of 65 people in the past five years due to negligence.
On Sunday, nine more suspects escaped from the Kwaggafontein police station, possibly with the help of policemen.
"Members of the (police) are under suspicion of using a key to unlock the doors," said Hatch.
He said that on average there are 6 45 escapes per week in the province. Only 20% of escapees are re-arrested within 24 hours. After that, a mere 10% are re-arrested, he said.
Hatch urged the provincial department of safety and security to establish a database to determine how many escapees were re-arrested after committing more crimes.
He said the leakiest cells, in order from the highest number of escapes to the lowest, are Witbank police station, KwaMhlanga police station, Hendrina juvenile centre, Dennilton police station and Nelspruit police station.
"This is just the tip of an iceberg," he said.
He wants provincial safety and security MEC Dina Pule to intervene by tightening security measures.
Provincial police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Theo du Bruyn questioned the DA's figures regarding escapees, saying that 1 346 prisoners had escaped since 2001.
He admits that policemen were responsible for some of the escapes.
"We can confirm that investigations have shown that at some stages our own members are involved in the escapes," he said.
He said police management was doing everything possible to address the situation and bring those responsible to book.