Cops a law unto themselves?
2008-05-15 11:25
Arthur Maisela, News24 User
In the last few months or so South Africa was horrified by video footage of members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) assaulting patrons and bar owners at night spots frequented by varsity students in Stellenbosch. Pictures of police beating up prostitutes in Arcadia, Pretoria were also splashed in the front pages of major newspapers sometime in 2007.
The South African Human Rights Commission has condemned this brutality strongly and called on the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) to act on those members involved in these horrendous acts. Police brutality seems to be the order of the day, especially in areas inhibited mostly by lower and middle class citizens of this country.
One only needs to drive in the streets of Hillbrow, Johannesburg and Sunnyside, Pretoria, especially at night, to witness this.
We understand that the level of crime in some of the areas of our country is appalling but that does not give the police a license to abuse their powers in dealing with issues at hand. Despite the publicity generated by these acts one would not be surprised if the same members involved are still in uniform.
First-hand
Sometime ago, in 1996, myself and a friend visited a restaurant in Sunnyside, Pretoria and parked at the customers' parking of the said restaurant. Some few minutes later a group of policemen and women in two cars drove onto the parking and ordered us out of the parking saying they received complaints of nuisance from the restaurant management.
With that understanding I requested that I wait for my friend, who at the time was inside the restaurant ordering food, and was told that I have an attitude. I was thrown into the police vehicle and when my friend, on his return, asked why I was being arrested he was told they want to teach me how they deal with people who have attitude.
I was taken to the police station where I was charged with drinking in public. I'd rather not talk about the assaults that followed at the police cells as these are currently sub judice. It was only after a few hours, whilst at the cells, that I realised that the policeman who threw me into the vehicle is a Superintendent.
New recruits joining the SAPS would obviously deem conduct of this nature acceptable as they look up to their seniors. How do you expect a constable to do good if his or her 'in-charge' displays such bullish behaviour? The consequence of this is that we will continue to have a nation where the police are seen as enemies.
Fix it!
The Ministry of Safety and Security is working very hard to restore the public profile of the SAPS and it is time that they deal harshly with elements whose motive is to derail the whole process.
I respect what the ICD is doing but would urge them to revisit their procedures. The fact that whenever a complaint is lodged against a police officer the matter is referred to the police station at which such officer is stationed is flawed.
There is a greater chance that whoever is allocated the matter to investigate is friend to the alleged perpetrator and the whole 'investigation' becomes a sham.
The ICD must investigate matters on their own. Their staff complement must be beefed up urgently if they are to win the war against police brutality. If this is done perhaps South Africa will start seeing positive results in that respect.
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