Selebi doubts moonlight stats
20/05/2004 14:05  - (SA)  

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Popcru rejects police plan Popcru between Selebi, Nqakula No more moonlighting for cops

Johannesburg - The Office of National Commissioner Jackie Selebi on Thursday challenged the validity of a report that four out of five police officers were illegally moonlighting.

"We challenge the validity of the figures, but not the phenomenon," Senior Superintendent Selby Bokaba said.

"We need to know how did the newspaper arrived at the figure. Do they have a database?

"Is there an organisation that keeps these statistics?"

A daily newspaper reported on Thursday that a police source revealed that as many as four out of five police officers in major centres were moonlighting illegally to generate income.

The figure was released following the killing of three policemen in a downtown Johannesburg factory over the weekend. The Pretoria-based police officers were doing security duties at the premises.

Bokaba said police management was aware there were members who were moonlighting illegally.

"We know this sort of practice is being exercised by our members, but we do not know the extent to which it is done."

He said police officers were aware that moonlighting illegally was against police regulations.

"Members know that one has to apply to Commissioner Selebi in order for them to be allowed to moonlight," Bokaba said.

"If one fails to do that and they die while moonlighting their family will not be eligible (for) the R200 000 death grant."

The Democratic Alliance said the revelations came as no surprise, as police officers were being forced to moonlight in order to make ends meet.

The party said in order to curb the prevalence of moonlighting among police officers, salaries at the lower end of the rank structure need to be increased for inspectors and constables by R1 000 a month.

Distortions in the rank structure need to be addressed through the provision of material incentives for those cops who performed well, it said.

"This will ensure that good police officers receive higher salaries without being promoted off the streets."

The DA said the death grant benefit scheme should be extended to off-duty police officers.

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