The DA has called for urgent intervention at Plessislaer SAPS after an oversight visit highlighted forensic backlogs, vacant posts and pressures facing detectives investigating serious criminal cases.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says more than 700 murder cases remain unresolved at Plessislaer SAPS in Pietermaritzburg, where detectives are carrying between 300 and 400 case dockets each amid severe staff shortages and lengthy forensic backlogs.
The party raised the concerns following an oversight visit to the station, which it said exposed mounting pressure on detectives and serious weaknesses within the policing and criminal justice system.
DA NCOP member on Security and Justice Mzamo Billy said the situation at the station reflected broader challenges facing law enforcement in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Plessislaer is representative of a policing system under severe strain left to fend for itself by the failures of successive ANC Police Ministers,” he said.
