The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request to compel the South African Police Service (Saps) and the Acting Minister of Police Professor Firoz Cachalia to release the delayed first quarter crime statistics.

The party threatened to pursue legal and parliamentary remedies should the Saps and Cachalia continue to withhold the crime statistics.

DA spokesperson on Police Lisa Schickerling said despite repeated promises, there had still been no clarity or accountability from the Ministry or Saps on why the first quarter crime statistics had not been made public.

The DA previously sent two written requests and two formal media statements calling on Cachalia to urgently release the data.

Earlier this month, ActionSA called for the immediate release of the statistics and an explanation for the delay.

The DA reiterated ActionSA’s demands, also calling for those responsible for the delay to be named.

Schickerling said the DA also wanted a firm commitment that all future quarterly crime statistics would be published on time and without political interference.

She pointed out that it was the eve of the release of the second quarter crime statistics, yet the first quarter figures remained hidden from the public.

“This deliberate withholding of crime data is unacceptable and undermines transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to know the true state of safety in our country,” she said.

She highlighted that crime statistics were not the property of the Saps or the Minister, they belonged South Africans and were a critical tool for measuring performance, identifying crime trends and ensuring that police resources were allocated where they were needed most.

Schickerling stated that the delay raised serious concerns about possible interference, dysfunction, or manipulation within Saps management structures.

“It also highlights the ongoing leadership crisis in the Police Ministry, which continues to fail in its most basic mandate to keep South Africans safe and informed,” she explained.

She said South Africans had a right to the truth.

“…concealing crime data erodes public trust, weakens parliamentary oversight, and leaves communities in the dark at a time when violent crime continues to spiral out of control,” she said.