South Africa P.I.G.: METRO POLICE

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1,300 die on SA roads in Christmas carnage

South Africa's shocking reputation for road accidents worsened last week when it emerged that a record 1,300 people were killed over the festive season - a jump of 25 per cent from last year. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptVnuktNNclKylXvL3_hCMuM2drXw5boTGnkNOJ48iZJneO29YGUcKCdijSh1OAqhJlJaMLMLdTixREL64q2ae-WKlz_PDPnghC9X8vxqaoE9ua-fEL0OxHbuz6JEOAEVQqO1MtBL4mPg/s1600/BLOG-road-sign02.gif" imageanchor="1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em"><img border="0" height="426" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptVnuktNNclKylXvL3_hCMuM2drXw5boTGnkNOJ48iZJneO29YGUcKCdijSh1OAqhJlJaMLMLdTixREL64q2ae-WKlz_PDPnghC9X8vxqaoE9ua-fEL0OxHbuz6JEOAEVQqO1MtBL4mPg/s640/BLOG-road-sign02.gif" width="640" /></a>Mangled vehicles became a regular sight along South Africa's roads during the Christmas period - often attended by emergency crews carrying away the dead and injured. The steadily growing death count was announced hourly on radio news bulletins, along with a grim league table of fatalities recorded in each province. More than 10,000 people died on South Africa's roads last year, including 364 tourists. Politicians and campaigners have argued over why the country's roads should be so perilous. Alcohol is a dominant factor. Drinking and driving does not carry the same stigma as it does in Europe, and 60 per cent of accidents reported between December 1 and January 10 were drink-related. Two senior members of the ruling African National Congress were among more than 50,000 drivers fined for speeding and other traffic offences. Road safety campaigners contrasted South Africa's accident rate with that of Australia, which has similar traffic volumes, road and weather conditions, yet where only 66 people were killed during the same six-week period. A government safety campaign - which included warnings to pedestrians of the dangers of walking along the roads while drunk - was condemned as a failure, and there were demands for the transport minister to resign. "About half of the victims in our mortuaries have blood-alcohol levels that exceed the legal limit for drivers," said Dullah Omar, the transport minister. More than a third of those killed were pedestrians, prompting the government's "Don't Drink and Walk" campaign. Unroadworthy vehicles and treacherous driving present a permanent hazard. Last year, a random survey by police of Johannesburg's minibus taxis - which often carry 20 passengers or more - found that only four per cent of vehicles were on the road legally. When these minibuses crash, the death count can be in double figures. South Africa's leading road safety campaigner, Moira Winslow, believes that ineffective policing is at the root of the problem. Mrs Winslow, who set up a group called Drive Alive after her son, daughter and two grandchildren were killed in a car crash in 1989, said that at least 60,000 road traffic officers were required to cover the country's extensive road network. There is considerable confusion about how many traffic police there actually are. Mr Omar said he thought there were about 10,000 officers, but his spokesman estimated the figure to be 5,000. The national secretary of the Institute of Traffic and Municipal Police Officers said there were 8,000, but added that South Africa needed a total of 30,000. Disagreements over the causes for the festive season carnage have descended into accusations of racism. Mrs Winslow blamed the high death count on "inexperienced and untrained civil servants", who were often prone to take bribes from motorists. This has been interpreted by some as a criticism of the government's affirmative action policy, which has encouraged older, more experienced and usually white police officers to retire from the force, to make way for young, predominantly black, recruits. Tasneem Essop, the transport minister for Western Cape province, condemned Mrs Winslow for her "racist" remark and demanded "constructive co-operation" instead. In a newspaper interview, Mr Omar suggested apartheid had played its part in making South Africans dangerous behind the wheel. "I think it is part of our history," he said. "We have emerged from a culture in which violence was a way of life."<div class="blogauthorpost_head"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7664093170776259871&postID=286098705335237240#">'Apartheid makes you drive like a maniac'</a></div> With the December death toll on the roads now officially 1 113, which is 25 percent up on the previous year, important people are giving us the benefit of their wisdom on the matter - led by transport minister Dullah Omar who says there is no suggestion of the Road to Safety strategy having failed. A few more successes by Road to Safety and there'll be more dead drivers on the roads than live ones. But Omar concedes there are some problems. One is that traffic officers aren't trained to do much more than trap motorists exceeding the speed limit. He thought the country had about 10 000 traffic police. His departmental spokesman Ntau Letebele thought there were 5 000. The national secretary of the Institute of Traffic and Municipal Police Officers, Theo Grimbeek, said there were actually 8 000 and that South Africa needed a total of 30 000. Drive Alive's Moira Winslow said at least 60 000 were required. Apart from these discrepancies, all agreed that something should be done and that someone else should do it. Meanwhile, because trapping speedsters is what our police are best at, motorists are excelling at producing reasons for the need to drive fast when, having failed to kill themselves or others, they appear before magistrates. One explained he had to reach a hotel toilet urgently as using a public convenience along the road was contrary to his religious beliefs. Another explained his accelerator had jammed, and a third said his car always went faster down a hill. Many were speeding to attend a funeral on time, probably someone's whose excuse was offered as a reason for his premature arrival at the pearly gates' stop sign. For those running out of reasons, here are a few more: I drive a BMW, so I have to pass everything in sight; I have a very powerful car whose engine is not meant to rev slowly; I shot ahead because I thought I saw a traffic cop on my tail; I didn't see a traffic cop on my tail, so I thought it was okay to give it some juice; apparently traffic cops are only good at speed-trapping and I always like a challenge; I was trying to catch up with a driver to tell him he was going too fast. But the best excuse has been provided by Dullah Omar himself: apartheid makes you drive like a maniac. In a weekend newspaper interview he is quoted as saying: "I actually think it is part of our history ... we have emerged from a culture in which violence was a way of life...". At least we now kill one another on a non-racial basis.

1,300 die on SA roads in Christmas carnage

South Africa's shocking reputation for road accidents worsened last week when it emerged that a record 1,300 people were killed over the...

1:42 PM

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

Rotten cops

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzGqVtUTZD-q9eI6GRwZl61RKV5_YWESa3hIa6nQAJwp_6Lsbb3HuTEuagggCkXxouXN3NeVgiU749_96MYMxHj0eYYB-BILI-i5Src7uVubTFOciP37oZ0VBpzJ_hk76kU_atHJHAXg/s1600-h/corrupt_cops.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369151518868061506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzGqVtUTZD-q9eI6GRwZl61RKV5_YWESa3hIa6nQAJwp_6Lsbb3HuTEuagggCkXxouXN3NeVgiU749_96MYMxHj0eYYB-BILI-i5Src7uVubTFOciP37oZ0VBpzJ_hk76kU_atHJHAXg/s400/corrupt_cops.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" /></a>Misconduct charges against members of Cape Town's 500-strong Metro Police have soared to 80 in little more than a year and six new cases are investigated every month. The charges, recorded between April 2008 and June 2009, range from the misuse of official vehicles and being under the influence of alcohol to being absent without leave and corruption. At least four Metro Police officers have criminal cases pending against them. The statistics were revealed in a report to the council safety and security committee. In addition to these cases, another 55 were investigated in the city's traffic department over the past year, many relating to corruption in processing learners' and drivers' licences. Two Metro Police constables were arrested by the SAPS this year, one for driving an official vehicle while off duty and under the influence of alcohol, the other for handling a private firearm while under the influence. Two more officers are facing charges of assault on a member of the public and another is alleged to have stolen from someone he searched. At least three more officers who also face criminal charges - for sexual harassment, accepting a bribe from a taxi driver and being in possession of dagga - have left the force. One officer in 10 was involved in disciplinary action over the past year, but the chairwoman of the council safety and security committee, Carin Brynard, said she felt the statistics were "reasonable". Only 1 percent of those disciplined had been fired. The report, detailing allegations of misconduct and the findings of disciplinary processes against Metro Police officers between April 2008 and April 2009, showed 64 cases had been investigated. Five concerned corruption and, with the exception of one not-guilty finding, those involved either resigned or were dismissed. One officer was dismissed for sexual harassment. But in most incidents, in which officers were found guilty of insubordination, the unauthorised use of official vehicles, unprofessional behaviour or being absent without leave, they received written warnings and suspensions without pay. A separate report indicates that another six disciplinary cases were reported in May and June 2009, involving corruption, sexual harassment and assault, and that a further nine cases had been finalised against officers for similar offences. At least 21 cases against staff in the city's driver testing centres are in the disciplinary stages, largely for the wrongful issuing of learners' licences. A further 34 disciplinary cases against traffic staff since January have already been finalised. Staff are accused of failing to conduct eye tests, issuing more than one eye test report on behalf of an applicant and, in one case, completing a test report on behalf of an applicant. A number of other complaints against traffic staff relate to their interaction with the public, with several complaints relating to refusal to assist or being rude. At least one criminal case is pending at Parow police station after an employee failed to account for R9 000 at the completion of her duties. In May, an employee was found to have a fraudulent identity document, as well as an illegal driver's licence, while a complaint was lodged against a driver's licence tester for conducting a test while under the influence. The city has issued final written warnings to a number of staff who have behaved in an undisciplined manner towards their supervisors, or disobeyed lawful instructions. Two employees were dismissed in June for bribery.

Rotten cops

Misconduct charges against members of Cape Town's 500-strong Metro Police have soared to 80 in little more than a year and six new cases...

11:25 AM

South Africa P.I.G.

1,300 die on SA roads in Christmas carnage

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

Rotten cops

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