Police watching TikTok and Instagram to fight crime in South Africa

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has a team dedicated to monitoring social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) to spot criminal activity in the country.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe spoke to 702 after police captured two suspects allegedly robbing students in Bloemfontein with the help of videos posted on X.

“In the South African Police Service, we’ve got a dedicated team that monitors all social media platforms in South Africa, be it WhatsApp, Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram,” said Mathe.

“This dedicated team monitors if there are any crime elements in any photos or videos posted.”

She added that a formal complaint had already been lodged with the SAPS regarding the two suspects arrested in Bloemfontein. Mathe said the SAPS was investigating the case when the videos were posted.

“I must say: this is the type of active citizenry that we always call for and strive for, where a person becomes a witness of a crime, takes a video, and takes any other information that may assist police in investigations,” said Mathe.

“In this particular video, the citizen who took the video could assist with the number plates of the vehicle and actually captured what happened as it unfolded.”

She said police could track down the vehicle owner, and two male suspects were subsequently arrested. They will appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate Court on Friday, 8 November 2024.

She urged citizens to start taking a stand against crime.

However, Mathe emphasised that citizens shouldn’t put themselves in danger by capturing videos of crime. If possible, they should try to note some of the details of the suspect or vehicle involved.

“You do find people taking videos at CIT crime scenes and they become victims where they are shot. So, only when it is safe to do so take a video. If it’s not safe, then at least take a picture or take down details,” she said.

[NABBED]The Provincial Commissioner of FS, Lt Gen Motsweenyane confirms the arrest of two male suspects, a 24 & a 32 yr old in connection with this Mazda robbery.The pair is facing charges of attempted murder & robbery. The pair will appear before BFN magistrate court on 8 Nov. https://t.co/0E5sPGxKQJ

— Athlenda Mathe (@AthlendaM) November 7, 2024

In addition to tackling crime through social media, the SAPS can track the location of a cell phone with the help of mobile network operators.

Mobile operators record which towers a device connects to and its signal strength, which police officers can use to triangulate the device’s location in real time.

In June 2024, the SAPS’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation — Hawks — announced the arrest of three kidnappers, which was made possible by tracking the victim’s cellphone.

Police tracked the hostage’s phone to a location in Woodstock, Cape Town.

“It is reported that on 14 June 2024, at about 19:00 hours, the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team received information regarding a kidnapping,” it said.

“Upon receiving the information, analysis was made and linking the information to suspicious banking activities and transfer patterns by the suspects to various banks.”

The Hawks team then began tracking the victim’s cellphone, which was still active in Woodstock. They found a hostage tied up in the main bedroom of the property once they entered the premises.

The victim was taken to hospital for examination.

The SAPS said the tracking also resulted in the arrest of two suspects who attempted to flee the scene and a third the day following the investigation.

In May 2023, the police also received permission to buy and use signal interception devices to collect details about any cellular device in a given area.

This came when former justice minister Ronald Lamola gazetted a five-year exemption from the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provisions of Communication-related Information Act.