Police brutality 'won't be tolerated'

2013-03-14 14:36

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa (Picture: Sapa)

Johannesburg - Police brutality against unarmed people will not be tolerated, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Thursday.

"Police in this democratic dispensation are not allowed to brutalise people, but we hear stories of members of the SA Police Service doing that," Mthethwa said.

Mthethwa, Gauteng community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko and Gauteng police commissioner Mzwandile Petros were meeting Daveyton residents following the death of Mozambican minibus taxi driver Mido Macia in police custody on 26 February. Earlier that day he was dragged behind a police van.

The three are also expected to visit Macia's family.

Respect

Mthethwa said the police had a responsibility to respect the public.

"If there is no such due respect, and as a police officer you are seen to be friends with criminals... the public will categorise you as criminal as well."

Police should clean themselves up and uphold the integrity of their profession.

"We do not want cop tsotsis [police who are criminals]. We must ensure that we clean ourselves up, or lose the trust of the community," Mthethwa said.

All the successes against crime were rooted in communities.

"The successes, notwithstanding the high level of crime, are through the help of the public," he said.

"Wherever things might have gone wrong, we need to all move forward and correct that."

- SAPA