Captain Veronica Banks, a seasoned detective attached to the Saps’ Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (Seci) unit in Gauteng, has collectively secured 67 life terms and 782 years’ imprisonment sentences for 22 serial rapists and paedophiles.
This year, Saps is observing National Child Protection Week by highlighting the work of its members who go beyond the call of duty to protect children.
National Child Protection Week emphasises the importance of protecting children against abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence, and seeks to promote the awareness of children's rights as enshrined in the Constitution.
Saps said Banks was attached to the Saps’ Seci unit, a specialised team within the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.
This team deals with cases that involve serial rapes and child pornography.
Banks’ career started in 1990 when she joined the service as a student constable. In 1993, she joined the Child Protection Unit, placing her at the forefront of fighting crimes against children.
Banks went on to complete numerous local and international courses on cyberforensics, human trafficking and online child exploitation.
She also presents workshops to empower other detectives to effectively investigate child pornography cases.
“To date, Banks has collectively secured 67 life terms and 782 years’ imprisonment sentences for 22 serial rapists and paedophiles who are now behind bars for various sexual offences,” the Saps said in a statement.
Career highlights are many, but a case that stands out is the sentencing of a 41-year-old father from Sasolburg by the high court in Bloemfontein in 2018 to 38 life terms and an additional 328 years’ imprisonment on multiple counts of rape, sexual abuse, and the possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography.
“This case landed on Banks’ desk for further investigation after the father’s IP address was flagged by an international law enforcement agency following the arrest of a suspect in the UK.
“The father drugged girl victims, including his own daughter, after which he raped, sexually abused and used them in the production of child pornography,” the Saps said.
Banks’ meticulous investigation led to the father’s arrest and seizure of various electronic devices that contained over 2 million images and a million videos classified as child pornography, depicting 19 child victims.
“Parents are urged to be pro-active by downloading and installing applications (apps) onto their children’s electronic devices to monitor and detect any suspicious online activities,” said Banks.
The SAPS described Banks as nothing short of a heroine, who remained relentless in her pursuit to ensure children are safe and feel safe by removing sexual predators from society.
Cape Times