The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is accused of prematurely closing cases to manipulate performance statistics.
An exposé by GroundUp and investigative unit Viewfinder found that IPID completed 308 investigations in a single day, pointing out that the cases were prematurely closed to meet their case competition targets.
According to GroundUP, this adds weight to 2014 whistle-blower reports from the Northern Cape provincial office of the IPID that case completion was driven by the pressure to generate performance statistics; and not by the natural progressions and outcomes of individual investigations.
IPID Spokesperson Sontaga Seisa has conceded that they have monthly targets that they need to reach, saying that there are a limited number of investigators working for long hours on the field.
Meanwhile, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popccru) has described the revelations levelled against Ipid as surprising.
Union Spokesperson Richard Mamabolo says: “But again for us the main concern is that a week ago, there were complaints that most people do not report cases to police because they feel that nothing will be done. So it builds on that momentum that police are not doing their work and some thinking they are above the law.”
