Another detainee escaped from police custody last week. The arrestee allegedly escaped through the roof of a prisoners’ truck while being transported to Pollsmoor prison on Thursday afternoon, 12 December 2024.
The question that many people are asking: How does this keep happening?
Detainee escapes en route to prison
According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie, members of the public alerted the driver of the truck of the escape attempt near a railway crossing in Muizenberg.
‘The driver and his partner secured the roof, and upon checking the detainees at Pollsmoor, they discovered that there was one prisoner short,’ said Pojie.
Pojie confirmed that the person who escaped police custody was Shepart Chfutuku. He was arrested for a robbery in Gordon’s Bay in October this year. Police consider Chfutuku to be dangerous and linked to a syndicate of armed robbers targeting supermarkets and retail stores.
Six detainees escape police custody from holding cell
Earlier this year, in August, six prisoners managed to break free from the confines of a magistrate’s court holding cell in the Western Cape.
The detainees were awaiting transfer to a correctional detention facility after their court appearances when they allegedly overpowered police officials and disarmed them. The escapees then made their getaway on foot.
Also in August, another group of six prisoners escaped from a police van in Gauteng. Armed gunmen attacked the van while it was en route to a court in the suburbs of Johannesburg. ‘The police have launched a manhunt after six detainees escaped. The detainees escaped on their way to the Vosloorus courthouse,’ the police said in a statement. Three armed men driving a luxury car ambushed the police van at a crossroads.
Shocking statistics in SAPS report
The latest South African Police Service (SAPS) annual report revealed that 438 detainees escaped police custody in 345 incidents during the 2023/24 period. Gauteng and the Western Cape were the provinces with the most escapees.
Out of the total escapees, police re-arrested 144 of the 438 within 24 hours of the incidents – that is a mere 32,88%.
Although the total is significantly less than previous years, it is still a concerning statistic. In the 2021/22 period, a total of 568 persons escaped from police custody and 564 persons in the 2022/23 period.
What do you think the root of the problem is?
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