Crime Reporting Procedure
Every victim MUST report the violation to SAPS. Every victim must see the process through its conclusion, no matter how traumatising or time consuming. SAPS Verulam Management is very well aware that many crimes are not reported to the police, rendering them unable to assist the victims. SAPS Verulam Detectives are fed up with victims reporting cases but not attending court cases and identification parades - much time and resources are spent apprehending the perpetrators, but to get a conviction, the victim in the end does not co-operate.
The only way to bring crime levels down and put criminals behind bars is to report the case to the police and co-operate with the police until they are jailed.
If you don't report crimes, you are adding to the crime problem by allowing criminals to get away and flourish
CRIME REPORTING PROCEDURE
Most people don’t know the crime reporting procedure in its entirety. This leads to much frustration when dealing with SAPS and a lot of disparaging comments about SAPS.
The first step is to determine which law enforcement department is responsible for attending to which violation. The easiest way to understand this is to understand that the Metro Police is responsible for enforcing the City By-laws. However, much of the work overlaps between the two departments. So for example, if your neighbour is operating a noisy business from his yard, then that is a matter for Metro Police. If the incident results in a confrontation and gunfight, then both departments can be contacted, but SAPS will handle the latter case.
Onother common example is where there is an overgrowth of bushes in your area. The overgrowth is actually the municipality's rsponsibility. However, if the overgrown bushes become a hideout for criminals, it becomes the responsibility of both SAPS and the Municipality.
When you need the services of SAPS, the first step is to contact the SAPS of the area where the service is required. You can either go to the Community Services Centre (previously called the Charge Office) or phone the CSC. Make sure you note the time, date and the name of the officer you have liaised with. This will prove to be highly valuable later. If you have opened a case, make sure you get a CAS number. This is the reference number on the Crime Administration System and the file will be handed to a detective for investigation.
If the crime requires the immediate presence of the police, please make sure you give the police the correct address. Please also make sure someone is available on the phone to communicate with the police until they arrive.
If you do not get a satisfactory service from the CSC desk, you are perfectly entitled to contact your Sector Commander. Sector Commanders have been instructed to make themselves available to the public at all times and their phones are allocated to a standby officer when they are off duty. But, please, don’t contact the Sector Commander for trivial matters or at odd hours, as the Sector Commander is an officer on active duty.
If you don’t get a satisfactory service from the CSC and the Sector Commander, contact your Safety Officer from your CPF. S/he will be able to assist you to try to get assistance.
Remember, you are entitled to feedback regarding your case. You can follow the same procedure for feedback.
Can you now see the importance of the CPF? You have more options than you probably realized when dealing with SAPS.
You can also report crimes to other agencies like Crimewatch, Corruptionwatch and Crimeline. You also welcome to use the contact form on this website, but obviously, not for an emergency.