South Africa P.I.G.: JMPD

Showing posts with label JMPD. Show all posts

Super Roadblocks a flagrant abuse of State Power

By Iain Robertson Super Roadblocks are our gift from Government over the Holiday Season. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0F_K0pO-QoPHdDaRrKsVkXkhy0lGR9GsAlUi-62JJNZr_rwHgrGldKYmeSSGQ6K3VeZPEtmSFB9hLN8TRwLfp8IiweisA8ZoY__smOpSU_o87N04dpBdfC-EbauQNUfiMCo2Oa1OmpbBV/s1600/Totalitarian-Demotivational.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB1NupHpDUGq-vDKUi9dG5wa827ykxwRIJrkQQbiCVo7VJE1WjxTAHi5IhEZRiJbhv7Bd9fZWmcf_NuMuONUstIMptmTYaLxR63LdJgiFaNN4LWn0MQ__AgODmgsrOSpjVC26AuoUrSAX/s1600/police_state.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539000546045902802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB1NupHpDUGq-vDKUi9dG5wa827ykxwRIJrkQQbiCVo7VJE1WjxTAHi5IhEZRiJbhv7Bd9fZWmcf_NuMuONUstIMptmTYaLxR63LdJgiFaNN4LWn0MQ__AgODmgsrOSpjVC26AuoUrSAX/s320/police_state.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>As usual drivers and their vehicles are liable to be checked, but this time passengers are to be checked as well. The roadblocks will be manned by the SAP and by other State Agencies looking for amongst other things tax evaders, illegal immigrants and dangerous goods. Is this a good thing in that a much broader spectrum of criminals will be arrested, or is it a flagrant abuse of State Power? General Bheki “Rambo” Cele told parliament last Friday that roadblocks are to be manned by combined teams from up to ten Government Agencies including the SAP, SARS, Home Affairs and Nature Conservation. The programme is unofficially set to start in Gauteng early next month and nationwide from December 4th. He has warned that tax dodgers, illegal immigrants and carriers of dangerous and illegal goods should brace themselves for a hard time. Another new concept he has introduced is that travellers without an acceptable ID will be fingerprinted, and the fingerprints used to check for any outstanding issues. I thought he might mellow after his honeymoon. No such luck. We normally expect an increase in roadblocks at holiday times, but this announcement takes the concept a whole yard further – longer traffic queues, lots more vehicles, lots more flashing lights, uniformed SAP officers strutting their stuff, pulling you over and interrogating you and your passengers, perhaps demanding fingerprints, certainly demanding ID books or proof of ID. Several groups of people dressed in civilian clothes in the background tapping your ID number into laptops. People searching your vehicle and rummaging around in your possessions. Scary. Especially at night. In the rain. If you are a woman alone. Road blocks are pretty inefficient in catching criminals. They are highly efficient at catching drivers with outstanding fines. That however, is not law enforcement or crime prevention, that’s revenue generation. Roadblocks on steroids will be no different, just longer queues and more aggravation. So why the upgrade of SAP vehicle focussed roadblocks to fully-fledged State fishing expeditions ? To be kind, it smacks of the usual government kneejerk reaction that something must be done, someone having what they think is a brilliant idea to do it, and some suit behind a desk not thinking through all the implications of implementing the brilliant idea. Not to be kind, it is a PR exercise, pure and simple. We will see Rambo grand-standing sometime in January or February showing what a fine fellow he is by catching so many criminals in December. To the cynical mind, it has the unholy stench of an impending totalitarian police state. Part of the insidious progression this Government is making towards total dictatorship and removal of basic human rights. Look at the Media Tribunal Bill and the Protection of Information Act as part of the same package. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for genuine criminals being caught. But I don’t think this is the way to do it. There are a few practical problems. Several of the activities are probably unconstitutional and will be challenged in court. Dennis Jackson of the Justice Project of South Africa says that there must be “reasonable suspicion” before any action can be taken against motorists or passengers at the roadside. Durban attorney Saber Jazbhay said the roadblocks would not be “constitutionally sound”. First, there is no easy definition of what constitutes reasonable suspicion. For example, are Home Affairs officials allowed to assess whether someone is potentially an illegal immigrant by the colour of their skin. There will be many claims against the State for unlawful arrest and detention if that is the level of criteria used as a definition of “reasonable suspicion”. Assuming that reasonable suspicion exists, what are the lawful grounds for arrest at a roadblock by the various Agencies. Are they in fact allowed to arrest you, or do they have to ask the SAP to do so ? Recently the Government inserted Sections 4A and 4B into the Customs and Excise Act conferring the power of arrest on Customs Officials and authorising the carrying of firearms for the purposes of enforcing the Customs Act. In other words, a Customs Officer can be deemed to be a Peace Officer as defined in the Criminal Procedures Act. Customs are part of SARS, so take that sports lovers. You can be arrested at gunpoint at a road block for not submitting a tax return. It will be a brave one who insists that only the original copy of a court issued arrest warrant is sufficient. Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle attempted to justify the involvement of highly specialised groups like SARS by stating that they had emergency vehicles and officials with powers of arrest. They therefore would help in targeting people who caused road fatalities. It’s the first time I hear that a major cause of our road carnage is not having a tax clearance form. Smooth tyres perhaps, drunk certainly, but irregularities in your tax affairs. Give me a break. I suspect the biggest problem, and there this is where M’Learned friends will make hay while the sun shines is that most Government databases are not accurate and not up to date, and probably not set up with the immediate updates necessary for use in this environment. As a result incorrect information will make the innocent look guilty and the guilty look innocent. Court cases will follow as surely as lawyers will hang around roadblocks. The second big problem is that with a few notable exceptions, the people involved do not have the qualifications or intention to act in a professional and impartial manner. It’ll be holiday bonus time. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess the option a father will take when presented with the two options of seeing his family spend Christmas in jail or coughing up some folding money. He may even suggest the spot fine option. Other officials, flushed with their temporary power will go on a cosmic ego trip and really make some people’s holiday. In summary, this looks once again like applying First World principles and policies with African precision. Whatever the real answer is, applying State Resources in this ham-fisted and heavy-handed way tramples on all the rights that those dear folk fought so long and so hard for.

Super Roadblocks a flagrant abuse of State Power

By Iain Robertson Super Roadblocks are our gift from Government over the Holiday Season. As usual drivers and their vehicles are liable to ...

9:04 AM

JMPD cops probed for bribery, assault, and, and, and ...

TWENTY percent of the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) are corrupt, with cops soliciting bribes of R1 000, and others stealing R1 million. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEJWe3J9UDP1N2iWbT0iSPZ-fxxw4oqIGZQsoypOPOy_plRHoY02WAibA4q3VqZ_Bieas5gj0W68EaryegoZKk8pUm7rCmmqa3q5o1uz0TZszcLQjiz5FW8JxP7mPJ1T6wT_9FGoNB57K/s1600/cops-jmpd.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535857825488683458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEJWe3J9UDP1N2iWbT0iSPZ-fxxw4oqIGZQsoypOPOy_plRHoY02WAibA4q3VqZ_Bieas5gj0W68EaryegoZKk8pUm7rCmmqa3q5o1uz0TZszcLQjiz5FW8JxP7mPJ1T6wT_9FGoNB57K/s400/cops-jmpd.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 197px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 255px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>A REPORT before the City of Joburg shows that between April and June, 116 officers were investigated and though several cases have been concluded, not one officer has been dismissed or suspended. The charges include: officers insulting motorists; pointing a firearm at a motorist; and unnecessarily issuing fines; victimising, harassing and stalking motorists; and punishing motorists for not paying bribes. JMPD chief Chris Ngcobo has admitted the rampant problem in the ranks, and vowed that officers caught will be dismissed. Despite this, a report before the City of Joburg shows that charges brought against 116 JMPD members four months ago have not resulted in one dismissal or suspension. A report seen by The Star reveals that from April to June this year, 116 JMPD officers were probed by its internal affairs unit. Among the most serious complaints are allegations of bribery by on-duty metro police officers, soliciting kickbacks of between R200 and R4 000 from motorists. Other transgressions range from corruption to theft, fraud, negligence, assault and unbecoming behaviour, being drunk on duty, going Awol on a shift, negligence and causing damage to council vehicles....and, and, and In a status report, presented to it by the JMPD’s internal affairs director Abel Nkosi on October 6, the document states that of the 116 cases, 60 have been finalised, 31 were still under investigation, 16 were being prosecuted and six were unsubstantiated. A further three cases were registered under “duplication”, “undetected” and “referred to other municipalities”. There are 86 allegations of “unbecoming behaviour” against officers, making up the majority of the cases. 476 Metro Cops probed for bribery, assault MORE than 10 percent, or 476, of the Joburg metro police department’s (JMPD) staff complement have been investigated internally in the past year for allegations ranging from theft to bribery, assault and misconduct. But, of the 476 metro police officers probed by the service’s internal affairs unit, less than 4 percent – or a mere 19 officers – were dismissed. The disclosure by the City of Joburg policing service’s management follows exposés into what seems to amount to criminal conduct and abuses by JMPD officers. The cases were reported in the JMPD’s latest annual report. There are currently 4 326 JMPD staffers employed in the city. Of the 476 cases investigated, the majority of the allegations against the officers were of “unbecoming behaviour” (373 cases) and 20 cases of corruption and assault. The figures indicate that 205 of the cases had been resolved without the need for a disciplinary hearing. About 30 percent, or 149, of the cases initially laid with the JMPD were unsubstantiated when investigated further, and at least 10 cases were withdrawn. Of 43 officers who had gone through disciplinary procedures, 19 had been dismissed, charges against 12 had been withdrawn and four officers had been found not guilty. The remaining eight officers had received written warnings or an unpaid suspension ranging from two to 10 days. The offences covered in the annual report range from fraud to bribery, theft, assault, unbecoming conduct, going Awol, insubordination and damage to council property. The annual report covers the period from July last year to June this year. Ngcobo’s acknowledgement came just weeks after his internal affairs director, Abel Nkosi, reported to the council that at least 116 officers had been investigated internally between April and June this year. In the past year, the police’s internal complaints directorate had investigated nine cases of bribery, corruption, fraud, theft, assault and misconduct against the officers. About a month ago, members of the internal affairs division had handed a motorist a R4 000 bribe to drop corruption charges against a senior metro police officer. The motorist had gone to the JMPD’s Loveday Street offices in the Joburg CBD to complain formally about being forced to pay a R700 bribe to an officer at a roadblock – a conversation which he had recorded. The officers had then tried to make the case go away. In the latest case on October 10, Soweto resident Sibusiso Ntimba was allegedly beaten up and burnt on a hot engine by metro police officers because he had failed to produce his driving licence. Then, on July 28, a carpenter from Linden was allegedly assaulted and arrested by a group of metro officers after he had asked them why they were destroying a rock feature in his neighbourhood.

JMPD cops probed for bribery, assault, and, and, and ...

TWENTY percent of the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) are corrupt, with cops soliciting bribes of R1 000, and others stealing R1 milli...

2:05 AM

Jo'burg Metro Police threaten woman with rape

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8Is4gyGERX3MKRxjUNmgWeOm4mjcIPHI72f_U1kvCSp_fQ6bIQxbkRFt7bUbIm94HFzLsDbr7WnRkaHW2xgY9TnnoAjiK4HosoV1ZRRjffRwjIrN2xXSxiKd-ufAwKCCJ6H_YTTa95w/s1600-h/JMPD02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298954879904226434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8Is4gyGERX3MKRxjUNmgWeOm4mjcIPHI72f_U1kvCSp_fQ6bIQxbkRFt7bUbIm94HFzLsDbr7WnRkaHW2xgY9TnnoAjiK4HosoV1ZRRjffRwjIrN2xXSxiKd-ufAwKCCJ6H_YTTa95w/s400/JMPD02.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" /></a>Johannesburg - An 18-year-old flight attendant from South African Airways has laid charges of harassment, intimidation and extortion after she was allegedly harassed by metro police officers who demanded R4 000 from her and threatened to throw her into jail, "where she would be raped by other inmates". Her father, ironically, is a senior official in the traffic department of the eThekweni municipality. Joburg metro police spokesperson Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said they were taking the matter seriously. "We are aware of the charges and are involved with our investigations. We view these charges as really serious and will make sure that everything possible is done to get to the bottom of this. We will keep the victim and her father informed." The flight attendant left her Fourways home at 3.40am on Wednesday for OR Tambo International Airport when two metro police cars and a van allegedly flagged her down. Her father related her terrifying ordeal in the dark and torrential rain because, he said, she was too traumatised to face people. "These police vehicles stopped alongside her and flagged her down. All the other officers were seated in their vehicles and one officer in a raincoat came towards her vehicle and shone a torch inside the car. "He said he was going to arrest her and lock her up. She asked what she had done, because she was driving normally and following the rules of the road. He got aggressive and told her to get out of the car and into the back of the van. He said that in prison, women get raped and beaten." When the victim refused to get into the van, the officer said she had to give him R4 000. "She took out her wallet and showed him she only had R200. He told her she should go to an ATM. "He said flight attendants get good salaries; much higher than police officers. She was contemplating giving him the money just to get away." The officer then asked about her family. "She said her father was a high-ranking Durban traffic official. He then took the R200 from her wallet and said she could go. "He said that before she goes, she should give him a hug and a kiss. She became hysterical, ran to her car and drove off. She drove straight to the airport, and one of the pilots called my wife." The father then rushed to Joburg and took her back to the family home in Durban, where she is recovering. "My daughter is such a shy and timid girl, and this incident has really terrified her. "When citizens see police officers, they are supposed to feel safe and protected, but these corrupt officers have instilled fear into her." He said he was conducting his own investigations and hoped that the guilty parties would soon be caught. "I have questioned the metro police chief and taken this to the minister's office. These vehicles have tracker devices, and they must work fast to catch these culprits."

Jo'burg Metro Police threaten woman with rape

Johannesburg - An 18-year-old flight attendant from South African Airways has laid charges of harassment, intimidation and extortion after s...

1:14 AM

South Africa P.I.G.

Super Roadblocks a flagrant abuse of State Power

JMPD cops probed for bribery, assault, and, and, and ...

Jo'burg Metro Police threaten woman with rape

Popular Posts

Blog Archive