More female officers trained to deal with rape cases

VEREENIGING. – The Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, says that more female officers will be trained and situated at the front desk at various police stations to specifically deal with rape victims. Cele was speaking recently at the funeral of slain student from University of Cape Town (UCT), Uyinene Mrwetyana (19), who was raped and brutally killed by a South African Post Office employee who has since been arrested. Cele said that he imagined that it is very difficult and traumatic for a female to have to explain her rape ordeal to a male officer. Following the statements made by Cele, Vereeniging Police Spokesperson, Captain Funda, says although the focus will be mainly on women, male officers will also receive training. “This is going to help us in that our officers will deal with this issue more sensitively. The police will be able to assist more effectively. Captain Funda said that the training would add more resources in terms of giving less experienced members specialised knowledge on dealing with rape victims and even going as far as giving them privacy. Captain Funda said that they are already using what they call Victim Friendly Facility where victims can report their cases privately. Captain Funda further emphasised that all these efforts would be done in order to make sure that victims feel safe and comfortable enough to speak to officers about their experiences. “This will ensure that officers are able to deal with victims more empathetically.”