On Wed, Jun 6, 2012 at 11:40 AM, Eric van der Walt <[email protected]>wrote:
> Hi James, > > I know it's important to report this sort of thing, but I must also > confess to being overwhelmed by apathy -- it's hard to believe that the > police will ever win this fight and, to be honest, I don't have the time or > energy to deal with a trip to the station. I don't suppose there's a > "quick and easy" way to report this sort of thing? Replacing the wheel has > already cost me cash and a couple of hours out of my work day, and it just > seems like salt in the wound to take time off work to go and stand in > queues to fill out paperwork that will disappear into a filing cabinet > somewhere. > > This is so true - even when my motorcycle was stolen a while after the insurance company had me sign a paper saying they could ask the police for progress. The case was already closed and it clearly landed on a detectives desk and after the minimum amount of time and no investigation he close the case. So yes a stolen wheel is just an irritation to the police - so there shoudl be simple way t file an official police report of crime - just for the purposes of recording that a crime has taken place - as even if you insist on an investigation there will be none! In the early days of neighbour hood watch we had a affadavit form that you could fill in and submit but I don;t think that was looked on with much favour by SAPS. There needs to be a speed queue (for people who have filled in their own documentation - or even better a fixed place nearby - like the Library - where a police officer is avaialble for a couple of hours on a regular day each week to take complaints. And then they really need to simply their forms - with making you sign affadavits that you are telling the truth its almost like they are treating you with contempt for the start - clearly lots of people make false statements for various reasons but I think they sometimes take it a bit far. Then there is the form you just "have to sign" The one where there are several checkpoints to tick stating the police have told yo of your rights - such as to be informed f progress in the case, a method of complaining if you are not satisfied with the service and asking if you need victim support. They just pretick all the boxes and ask you to sign - they explain nothing - and if you ask you get varying responses. My best ever time to report a complaint was twenty minutes - and thats where I called them and they came to me. Obvioulsy going to the police station you will be lucky to be finished in and hour and more if you have to drive from far (even more if you rely on public transport.) Add to that that we hear all the time of the police actively discouraging people laying complaints for what can only be assumed to be their sheer laziness in not wanting to take the statement and fill in all 7 forms and huge brown folder for someone who almost stole your bag in a mugging! So yes a simple quick and accurate way to report a crime is desparately needed. Trev -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en.
