Pretoria - A number of police officers and police stations in the Western Cape are currently under investigation by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) after allegations of criminality were leveled against them.
In some cases, police officers have been arrested and face charges for offences including murder, the ICD said. They have been suspended from the SAPS.
During a media briefing on Monday, ICD Western Cape Head Thabo Leholo detailed its investigations into allegations of criminality and misconduct against the police officers.
In the first instance a guesthouse owner in Plettenberg Bay claimed to have been raped by two police officers. An identification parade was held but the complainant was unable to positively identify the officers, Leholo said.
Two DNA samples were taken for analysis. The result for the first sample was negative and the ICD is still waiting for the results from the second sample. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
In another case, police officers from Knysna are accused of assault and murder. A policeman allegedly assaulted a member of the public during an arrest in February and then took the man to the Knysna Police Station.
"At the police station the member pulled the person out of the rear of the patrol vehicle and was joined by two other SAPS members in kicking the deceased whilst he was on the ground in the parking area of the police station.
"After the assault, a police officer dragged the deceased into the police holding cells leaving a trail of blood on the ground," Leholo said.
The man later died. The ICD investigated the incident and arrested the three police officers and recommended that they be prosecuted.
They are expected to appear in court in September. The officers have been suspended and disciplinary action has been instituted against them.
The ICD is also investigating allegations that some police stations in the Western Cape were manipulating crime statistics.
"The ICD started an investigation after receiving a complaint from the office of the MEC for police in the Western Cape and after receiving the relevant reports from the office of the SAPS Provincial Commissioner in the Western Cape.
"The allegation was that housebreaking, arson and theft out of motor vehicle dockets were being changed to malicious damage to property charges," Leholo explained.
After analysing 1 900 police dockets at the Paarl, Oudtshoorn and George police stations, the ICD noticed "similarities in the manner that cases are opened and the charges changed towards the end of the month at these stations".
ICD investigators have opened a criminal case of defeating the ends of justice and are in process of interviewing possible suspects.
The ICD is also investigating allegations of torture against 14 members of the Organised Crime Unit (OCU). The incident allegedly took place at the unit's Bellville South in February last year.
"This act of torture resulted in the death of one person and injuries to another two people. Since the ICD started this investigation, other matters were also reported to it by members of the public," Leholo added.
He said the ICD was now investigating 29 complaints of torture.
Eight police officers from Khayelitsha are also accused of murder. The six reservists and two permanent members are accused of assaulted a member of the public by kicking and hitting him with a brick in September 2009.
The victim was taken to Khayelitsha police station where he was allegedly assaulted for a second time. He later died in hospital.
When the ICD went to the scene of the incident, it found a 9mm cartridge case that was positively linked to a SAPS member's firearm.
Blood was also discovered in the police vehicle that transported the deceased to the police station.
The ICD arrested the eight police officers and will go on trial in the Cape High Court.
Leholo said the ICD had completed its investigation into allegations that a member of the public was assaulted by police officers from the Tactical Response Unit at a garage in Durbanville.
"The investigation has been completed and it will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a decision," he added.
