'If uncertain - call 10111'
2009-10-13 09:53
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Police
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Pretoria - Due to the current crime climate, police should be forced to issue an order stating that officials in unmarked vehicles were not allowed to pull people over.
This was the opinion of Dr Johan Burger, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) on Monday, in reaction to cases where people had to stop if pulled over by police.
Burger referred to countless incidents where criminals pretended to be police members and then robbed or hijacked people.
"This order should be made public, so the public is aware of it.
"Where people are stopped by police in a marked police vehicle, it is highly likely that they are real police officials," said Burger.
Drive to a safe place
His advice to a motorist who wasn't sure if it really was the police, was to drive calmly to a place like a shop or a petrol station, where there were people and it was safe.
"A dangerous thing to do, is to race off. That could serve as justification for police to shoot."
National police spokesperson, Director Phuti Setati said if police in a vehicle with a fixed blue light wanted to pull a car over, people should rather stop.
Setati acknowledged that there had been cases where criminals pretended to be police officers, but said these were "very, very rare".
"The police are allowed to pull you over to warn you about danger farther ahead, or to warn you about a criminal ambush.
"When you're not completely sure, motion with your hands that the police should follow you, while you phone 10111."
"You should then explain that you suspect you're being followed by a vehicle with blue lights on that specific road. Police officials in the area will come to your location," said Setati.