Hon Deputy Speaker, following the City Press article, the national commissioner instructed the provincial commissioner to investigate this matter. The investigation was completed by mid- September. The investigation found that a police constable from the station had destroyed papers whilst on patrol in Fox Street. This constable had torn up the papers and deposited them into the street dustbin. The constable alleged that he had been cleaning out his patrol van whilst on patrol. However, the papers that were destroyed were scrap papers, and one old docket cover sheet. No actual dockets were destroyed.
The investigators contacted the complainant whose name and details were on the docket cover sheet that was destroyed with the scrap paper. It was confirmed that the actual docket related to case 2843/06/2009 was still in the detective services and was still being investigated. The constable has been reprimanded for throwing these scrap papers away in public and not shredding them, as required in terms of management of information security services procedures. An instruction has been sent out to all stations that no papers, even if they are scrap papers, should be thrown away, and that such documents should be disposed of in accordance with these procedures. The SAPS have contacted City Press and asked them to please retract what had been printed. It is unclear whether the newspaper printed this retraction. I thank you. [Applause.]