Suspect arrested in KZN triple murder

Parliament’s police portfolio committee has commended the KwaZulu-Natal South African Police Service (SAPS) detective team for arresting a suspect linked to the triple murder in which a mother and her two daughters were killed in their home in Phoenix, Durban on Friday.

Committee chairman Francois Beukman said on Sunday the quick response by the SAPS detective team and the subsequent arrest of a suspect confirmed there was no substitute for effective and professional detective work in solving murder cases.

The incident had put the alarming crime rate against women and children in the spotlight. “The turnaround time in the detective service’s performance in all nine provinces is of critical importance to ensure that perpetrators of crime against women and children are arrested and brought before the courts.

“Too many unsolved murder cases erode the confidence of the community in the police service, leading to vigilante conduct that undermines the criminal justice system in general,” he said.

An immediate response to murder incidents by detectives was essential, because delayed responses and investigations added to the complexity of cases. Investigative officers should also, on a regular basis, give feedback to the families of victims.

Beukman said the retention and promotion of experienced detectives by national and provincial police management was essential, and skills transfer to new recruits and up-to-date forensic training was key to the turnaround in the detective environment.

ANA

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