South
African Police Brutalise Gerald Carey
Petros
condemns alleged police brutality
Kempton Park resident Gerald Carey
says he was beaten up by police after being pulled over on 9 May 2013. Picture:
Supplied [Caption]
Kempton Park resident Gerald Carey
says he was beaten up by police after being pulled over on 9 May 2013. Picture:
Supplied 13/05/2013
[Caption]13/05/2013 Govan Whittles |
3 months ago
JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Police
Commissioner Mzandile Petros on Monday condemned the latest alleged police
brutality incident involving a Kempton Park man who claims he was beaten for
refusing to pay a bribe.
Gerald Carey says he was pulled over
on the East Rand on Thursday night and beaten with a baseball bat when he
refused to hand over money.
He spent two days recovering in
hospital.
Petros said police watchdog the
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is probing the incident but
a charge of assault has also been opened against Carey.
“This matter is being investigated
by IPID, but from our side we started with the internal investigation as to
what exactly happened. We will work very closely with the IPID.
"I was asking them what they
were doing and why they were doing this to me. I told them they were hurting me
and asked them why, because they were the police.
"They were supposed to be
helping me. They were just saying ‘tonight you will learn your lesson, tonight
you will die'."
After he managed to stand up, he
made a run for it and was able to hitchhike home before being taken to
hospital.
But, the police's Katlego Mogale
said the officers have also opened a charge of assault against Carey.
“A police officer was also
assaulted. He had injuries to his upper eye and hand. Both cases have since
been handed over to IPID.”
Meanwhile previous incidents of
police brutality prompted a conference earlier this year on the behaviour of
officers countrywide.
IPID says officers must think about
the implications of using force and make sure their actions comply with
international codes of conduct.
IPID's Moses Dlamini was one of the
speakers at a seminar on police brutality which was held in Pretoria by the
Institute of Security Studies (ISS) earlier this year.
Dlamini mentioned various cases,
including the torture and murder of taxi driver Mido Macia, but said not all
police officers were guilty of brutality.
