South African Police Service beat up citizen
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
BIKER DIEGO SINGER ASSAULTED BY BOKSBURG METRO-COPS
11:36 | Posted by Censorbugbear |
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Motor-biker Diego Singer, Uruguay immigrant, punched in the face, rammed off his bike by increasingly brutal Boksburg metro-cops
11 October 2011 source: Kempton Park journalist Bernice Maune - - “Brutality is fast becoming a dominant characteristic to describe Ekurhuleni Metro Police officers. Following evidence of metro police abuse in Germiston last week targeting Mrs Shantall Gopal, a 23-year old mom; this week Glen Marais resident Diego Singer, who is from Uruguay, has also added his voice to the seemingly growing number of assault victims at the hands of the metro-cops.”
Metro-cop knocked Uruguay immigrant Diego Singer off his bike, bruising his leg: a man in civilian clothes then assaulted the white immigrant while he was handcuffed and sitting in back of the police-van: and civilians said to be ‘police officers’ then were allowed to rob his cellphone and helmet-cam:
Mr Singer was on his way home on September 28 2011 when a metro-cop allegedly stopped him by ramming into his bike at the intersection of Voortrekker Road and Greyilla Street. Singer said he was knocked off his bike, causing a bruise to his left leg, as he initially refused to stop. He believed the officers were just trying to get a bribe from him. According to him he saw nothing wrong with his driving and would not stop because he believed the officers would try to bribe him. He admits his conduct was wrong. "They accused me of reckless driving and I admit I was wrong to not have stopped," said Singer.
However - when he was handcuffed and bundled into a van, his helmet hit the ground, releasing his helmet camera. "They laughed at me and said that was what you got for trying to run from the police, and that I would never put this on You Tube. "I use the helmet's video camera in case of an accident so the police could know how it happened." Singer said his camera was confiscated or stolen: it was given to an alleged officer in civilian clothing who drove a purple Mahindra. He tried to contact his wife by cell phone but was prevented from doing so. "A man in a civilian shirt and short pants came to the back of the van to check on me. He saw me using the cell phone, started shouting to everybody, saying ‘why they didn't search me. How could they let me use the cell phone?’
"He opened the back of the police van and told me to give him the cell phone while I was talking to my wife. He grabbed my phone with one hand and with the other punched me with his fist on the left side of my face. I almost lost consciousness and started bleeding from the left side of my lip.
‘I know where you live -- I will come and get you if you speak up:’
"Another officer came to see what happened and he was told I hit myself and bit my lip to make it bleed," recalled Singer. "Before he left he come to the window of the van and said I had better keep quiet. He knew where I stayed so if I said anything, he would come to get me." Singer was merely issued a fine and released. He appeared in court, pleaded guilty and paid the fine.
Singer said he was alarmed at the nonchalant attitude of the officers on the scene. "How could they allow that (civilian) man to intervene with an arrest? This needs to be stopped. Until now I have not received my helmet and camera back." Singer said he intended to open a civilian case of assault as well as a case with the police.
Supt Wilfred
Kgasago, metro police spokesman, said ‘the incident was viewed in a serious light and had been forwarded to the office of the deputy chief of police operations. "The integrity and standards unit has been informed of the complaint and an effort to get a statement from the complainant and those who allegedly caused this will be made in order to get all the facts," said Kgasago.
http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/kempton-park/kempton-park-news-general?oid=4771256&sn=Detail&pid=490115&Metro-police-ram-motorcyclist-off-his-bike
