Statement by Nicholas Gotsell MP – DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice:
The DA notes with alarm yet another so-called “escape” from police custody. The latest incident occurred at the Sea Point SAPS, where a suspect fled through an unsecured window before being re-arrested this morning.
This is now the fourth escape incident in just over a month, involving detainees slipping out of established, operational police precincts that handle hundreds of cases weekly. This is no longer coincidence, but a deeply troubling pattern.
Despite repeated correspondence, the Provincial Police Commissioner has still not responded to any of the DA’s requests for accountability regarding the escapes at Wynberg, Strand and Bellville.
Yet every week, another “escape” occurs, always from secure precincts that are not construction sites, but long-established police stations with standard infrastructure and daily operational protocols.
The public deserves to know why detainees can simply disappear from facilities that are meant to safeguard suspects, protect communities and uphold the integrity of the criminal justice chain.
The DA again calls for urgent answers from the Provincial Commissioner and the immediate appearance of SAPS leadership before the Select Committee on Security and Justice. Their silence can no longer be tolerated while so-called “escapes” become a weekly occurrence across the Western Cape.