36/1/4/1/200900238
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 194
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20 NOVEMBER 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 26 - 2009)
Date reply submitted : 15 December 2009
Mr W F Faber (DA-NC) to ask the Minister of Police:
Whether any SA Police Service member may refuse to open a case for the
robbery of a cell phone, based on the lack of an IMEI number of the phone;
if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant
details?
CW287E
REPLY:
No. The opening of a criminal case docket may not be refused, due to the
unavailability of an IMEI number.
In an attempt to prevent cellular phone related crime, the South African
Police Service (SAPS) and the South African mobile cellular operators
signed an agreement on 13 April 2005. In terms of the agreement all lost,
stolen or destroyed cellular phones must be reported to a police official
at a police station. In essence the agreement provides for the immediate
blacklisting of all lost, stolen or destroyed cellular phones which are
reported as such by their respective owners to the mobile cellular
operators.
Once a report regarding a stolen cellular phone (eg during a robbery
incident) has been made to a police official, a case docket must be opened
immediately and registered on the Crime Administration System (CAS). In
circumstances where the CAS is not operative, it shall be recorded in the
Occurrence Book (OB) by the police official who received the report.
The police official must request the blacklisting reference number, which
the complainant must have obtained from the relevant mobile cellular
operator. Should the complainant not have obtained such reference number
at the time of reporting to the police official, the latter must inform
him/her to do so immediately. In circumstances were the complainant does
not have the resources to do so, the police official must assist him/her in
this regard by contacting the relevant mobile cellular operator.
The police official must provide the complainant with written proof that
the report has been made.
Reply to question 194 approved by Minister