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MEC: Probe acquittal of cops
28/03/2008 19:05 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The acquittal of 13 reserve constables arrested for corruption and smuggling illegal immigrants needs to be probed, said the Mpumalanga Department of Safety and Security on Friday.
The case against them was stuck off the roll when they appeared in the Komatipoort Magistrate's Court last Tuesday because the prosecutor lost the charge sheet.
The province's Safety and Security MEC Fish Mahlalela said: "The probe should be urgently commissioned by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and SAPS, to determine exactly what happened to the documents, and to immediately take appropriate steps where necessary."
Mahlalela said the case should urgently be put back on the court roll so that the reservists stood trial for their alleged offences.
He said the incident not only demonstrated laxity on the part of some court officials, but also confirmed claims made by the community about officials who failed to perform their duties with diligence and commitment.
"Besides, it also dampens the spirit of the hard-working police officers who work tirelessly in a bid to restore calm and stability among the residents of the province in reducing crime."
Mahlalela said such incidents set back the efforts of the department.
The 13 Gauteng-based police constables were arrested after they allegedly took bribes to smuggle 26 Mozambicans, who were supposed to have been deported, back into South Africa on March 19 this year.
Their plan was thwarted by alert police officers at the Lebombo border post.
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