Police have closed 13,2-million criminal cases without resolution in the past 10 years. This is according to the ministry of police in a parliamentary response to questions posed by Build One SA (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane, revealing data from 2015 to date and saying some dockets can be reopened if there is new evidence. “The totals should also not be added to conclude that this is the total for 10 years, as dockets are reopened for investigation.” According to the statistics, Gauteng is leading with 375,613 unresolved cases for the 2024/25 financial year, followed by Western Cape, which is sitting at 236,764, and then KwaZulu-Natal with 179,631 cases.
BOSA spokesperson Roger Solomons said this was a damning indicator that the police service was struggling to keep pace with the country’s crime levels. He said the stats highlighted a system overwhelmed by a combination of rising crime and severe detective and police officer shortages. “Crime is rampant, and South Africans are paying the price for a police service that cannot cope.
The shortage of trained detectives and under-resourced police stations is crippling our ability to fight crime effectively.” Solomons said thousands of criminal cases were going cold, with no follow-up investigations, no arrests, and no justice for victims. “As more and more files pile up on the desks of detectives, criminals are not being brought to book and justice is not being served for victims.” Crime is rampant, and South Africans are paying the price for a police service that cannot cope. The shortage of trained detectives and under-resourced police stations is crippling our ability to fight crime effectively.
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BOSA called for the police to expand capacity and recruit new officers. Solomons said there should be an increase in funding and resources, as well as digitising criminal dockets.
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