'Drunk' cop manned speed trap

2006-01-03 22:02

Tom de Wet

Parys - The chief of the provincial traffic office in the Free State town of Parys was facing a disciplinary investigating after manning a speed trap on the highway outside the town while allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

He allegedly also didn't have the necessary authorisation on him to man the speed trap.

Paulus Lenka was taken to the police station in town on New Year's Day by the traffic inspectorate, but was not criminally charged. Neither was his blood-alcohol level tested.

Anton Koen, a private investigator and former policeman, found that strange. He said charges of appearing drunk in public and being a pedestrian endangering traffic were laid against Lenka.

Filmed the traffic chief

Koen said he was on his way from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg on Sunday afternoon when he was pulled off for speeding at the Greenlands Bridge outside Parys.

"I got out of my car and immediately realised that the official was not acting normally. He was clearly under the influence of alcohol.

"I took out my video camera as I realised that proof would be of utmost importance.

"I asked him where his calibration- and operator's certificate were. He said he had forgotten them at home.

"The law is very clear in that all the speed traps manned by him without a certificate on that day are illegal."

Lenka allegedly offered to cancel the ticket for the speeding offence.

Koen asked other traffic officials, who had arrived at the scene, where corruption could be reported. They provided him with the number of the traffic inspectorate.

An official from the inspectorate arrived and took Lenka to the police station in town.

A police spokesperson said Koen's statements were taken and handed to the inspectorate. He said the incident would be investigated by the inspectorate, and that Lenka would be departmentally investigated by the Free State traffic department.

- Beeld