Plettenberg Bay residents and anti-child abuse activists will on Saturday be demanding a dedicated police unit to address crimes committed against children.
They will be drawing up another petition and staging their third march this year in an attempt to place pressure on authorities to establish a local child protection unit.
"There is no doubt that specialised units are needed to tackle crimes against children. Currently crimes against children in our area are dealt with by 17 FCS investigators based in George who are responsible for a vast area stretching from George to Natures Valley. This unit has limited access to the internet and transport which disables them from effectively fulfilling their prescribed duties to all those in need, especially in the outlying areas within their precincts," newly appointed Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) spokesman Joanne Barrett said.
Therefore WMACA will be supporting the march which will take place from 11am on August 1. The walk will start in Main Street near The Grand Café and end at Plettenberg Bay police station where participants will hand over their petition to police.
"We understand that current police resources may not enable a dedicated FCS unit here in the immediate future, so in the meantime, while we wait, WMACA demands the state support Major General Oswell Reddy, head of the George cluster, the current FCS unit responsible for Plettenberg Bay to increase their budget to improve police working conditions, properly equip and train police officers, upgrade resources, prioritise services to victims, employ highly skilled forensic social workers to assist with assessment of abused children and the compilation of court reports.
"We also demand that they create a realistic electronic statistics and DNA database for gathering incriminating evidence, but also for gathering evidence, to eliminate suspects and to safeguard against wrongful convictions or other miscarriages of justice."
In February local residents and children's rights activists staged their first march through the coast holiday town's streets. About 300 residents marched from Kwanokuthula to the Plett police station to hand over a petition to local police in an attempt to force lawmakers to revisit issues around bail for alleged peadophiles. They demanded in cases where suspects are caught "red-handed" and there is little doubt over their involvement, bail should not be granted.
A second march was staged in April.
Yolande Stander
Garden Route Media
July 31, 2015
