Friday, March 24, 2017

Crimes of the South African Police Service

Police officer charged after midnight crash


Mon, 17 Oct, 2016
Sue Maclennan @SusanMaclennan2


A police officer faces charges of drunk driving, reckless and negligent driving and misuse of a state vehicle after a police van crashed into a Grahamstown business late on Saturday night, after hitting two donkeys.
Administration manager at Ultra Liquors in Beaufort Street, Chrisy du Plessis, said she’d been awoken around midnight by an officer from a security company to tell her about the accident.
“When I arrived, I found the two donkeys dead in the street,” Du Plessis told Grocott’s Mail the next morning.
The front end of a police vehicle was jammed among the metal bars and glass of the shop’s front window.
“Part of it was actually stuck inside.”
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender confirmed the incident and said a police officer from the Queenstown Police had been charged with drunk driving, reckless and negligent driving and misuse of a state vehicle.
Manager of the Grahamstown SPCA Mark Thomas said an inspector from the organisation had attended the scene.
“I can confirm that the animals died,” Thomas said. “But until we have the police report I’m unable to comment further.”
The shop’s internal security cameras recorded the incident at ten minutes before midnight.