The SAPS has launched the Western Cape’s first dedicated domestic violence office in Mitchells Plain.
|||Cape Town - In a move to clamp down on gender-based violence, the police on Monday launched the first domestic violence office in the province that will focus solely on dealing with the scourge.
It will keep a database of offenders to help identify those who are repeat offenders.
The office, based at the Mitchells Plain police station, started operating on April 1. Working at the office is a team of nine Domestic Violence Act (DVA) co-ordinators, comprising investigators and police officers.
The Mitchells Plain police station received 12 889 domestic-related complaints in the 2011/12 financial year (April to March), and 11 379 complaints in the 2012/13 financial year.
Major-General Jeremy Veary, a cluster commander of the Mitchells Plain police station, explained that each domestic violence complaint took about 45 minutes of police time. “In February alone we received 905 complaints. Domestic violence complaints take up most of police work time in Mitchells Plain.”
The deputy provincial commissioner in charge of operations, Major-General Peter Jacobs, said that in an average year they received 57 000 domestic violence complaints across the province.
The Mitchells Plain station commander, Brigadier Johan Brand, said they were prioritising the fight against domestic violence. He said the presence of the DVA co-ordinators meant a speedy police reaction time to gender-based violence complaints and an improvement in following up on cases.
Members of the DVA team had received extensive training to make sure they were well equipped to deal with the task, said Brand.
“The team will work together with social workers and other gender-based violence organisations. This office is a separate entity from the victim support area,” he said.
nontando.mposo@inl.co.za
Cape Argus