- The Elsies River Community Police Forum (ERCPF) has asked residents to stop sharing crime scene photos and videos on social media.
- Gang violence has increased in the area, and ERCPF chair Hamish Arries stressed the need for more police resources and specialised units.
- Sharing crime scene footage online risks contaminating evidence and endangering witnesses
The Elsies River Community Police Forum (ERCPF) urged residents to stop sharing pictures or videos of crime or crime scenes on social media.
The area has seen an escalation in gang violence in the precinct.
According to ERCPF chair Hamish Arries, Elsies River needs more resources and the active deployment of more boots on the ground. “We need the City of Cape Town to allocate LEAP officers,” he said, “and we need a sustained presence of specialised units such as the anti-gang unit in Elsies River.”
At an emergency multi-stakeholder meeting held on 25 June it was resolved that more needs to be done to curb the proliferation of guns in the precinct. “There has been a dramatic increase in murder, armed robberies and the targeting of especially e-hailing service providers, even those on scooters,” Arries pointed out. “Elsies River is suddenly a serious red zone that requires maximum intervention.”
social-media sensationalism
Another concern raised at the meeting was the trend to use social media to sensationalise crime in the area. “With videos from crime scenes and even active shootings going viral, the danger of crime scenes being contaminated and even the risk of witnesses and suspects being identified via social media becomes inevitable.
“Suspects whose pictures are circulated on social media before they have been positively identified by actual witnesses and charged are likely to argue that witness testimonies are inadmissable due to social media interference.
“The ERCPF, together with our partners in the police and Department of Justice, urges members of the public to refrain from taking pictures and videos of active crime scenes and circulating these on social media. If found in possession of incriminating footage or visual evidence this should be handled by the investigating officer to ensure convictions. The risk of witnesses being identified via social media is very real, placing them in harm’s way.”
