Eastern Cape cop arrested for robbery
12
March 2017
ANA
Reporter
File
photo: Eastern Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga said it was
disturbing and disheartening to receive news of a police member's involvement
in criminal activities and assured the public that any officer found on the
wrong side of the law would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.
Uitenhage – Eastern Cape police management warned police officers
on Sunday to ensure they do not get involved in criminal activity after another
police constable was arrested for robbery in Uitenhage on Saturday.
Eastern
Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga said it was disturbing and
disheartening to receive news of a police member's involvement in criminal
activities and assured the public that any officer found on the wrong side of
the law would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.
It
was alleged that at about 11pm on Saturday a 32-year-old off-duty policeman in
a marked police vehicle approached a foreign national at a petrol station in
Caledon Street, Uitenhage, Sergeant Majola Nkohli said.
"The
policeman demanded to see the victim's work permit and when the victim failed
to produce the necessary documentation he was forced to collect the documents
from his home."
Upon
arrival at the man’s residence, the policeman, who was in the company of
another man, allegedly pointed his firearm at the victim. The pair searched the
victim and stole cash and car keys before making off in the police vehicle,
Nkohli said.
The
victim immediately reported the matter at Uitenhage police station and moments
later the police vehicle was spotted in Kamesh and stopped in Palm Drive.
"The driver, a policeman, who was found to be driving under influence of
liquor, and his passenger, a member of the public, were immediately arrested.
The stolen car keys of the victim were found in possession of the suspects. A
police firearm with ammunition was also seized."
The
arrested constable was stationed at the rapid rail police unit in Port
Elizabeth. He and his 25-year-old accomplice would appear in the Uitenhage
Magistrate’s Court on charges of robbery.
The
constable would face additional charges of driving a motor vehicle under the
influence of liquor and contravening the Firearms Act. An internal
investigation in terms of the South African Police Service (SAPS) disciplinary
regulations had also been instituted following the constable's arrest, Nkohli
said.
ANA
