Court Watching Brief

Our Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety ensures that citizens receive professional policing that is effective. The Department manages this through the Directorate: Monitoring and Evaluation which is responsible for the implementation of the Court Watching Briefs (CWB) programme in line with Cabinet Resolution 138/2014 of 6 August 2014.

The aim of this programme is to monitor police conduct and efficiency in criminal matters at district courts in the Western Cape. Here the emphasis is on courts dealing with gang-related criminal activity. Systemic failures due to the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the SAPS with regards to court cases struck off the roll are reported on. Trend analysis reports are discussed with the SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on a quarterly basis.