ASSAULT claims against Edenvale police
officers pile up
Three more motorists claim they were
intimidated, beaten & arrested for being drunk.
Screengrab of alleged rogue
policemen at the Edenvale Police Station.
JOHANNEBSURG - Three more motorists
have come forward following Carte Blanche's expose on rogue police
officers from Edenvale, accused of harassing, assaulting and arresting
motorists for no reason.
Carte
Blanche interviewed three men who claim
they were beaten and assaulted by a police constable, the one case dates back to 2013.
The officer, identified by victims
as 'the man with the golden tooth' and believed to be involved in all attacks,
has now been served with a suspension letter while top managers will also face
an internal investigation because they didn't take action at the time.
A man, who doesn't want to be
identified, claims he was also intimidated and arrested for being drunk even
though he was a passenger and his wife at the wheel.
The alleged incident happened a year
ago, also in the Edenvale area, and now he is planning to immigrate.
"I was put in the van, driven
to at high speed and threatened. When I got to the police station, a comment
was also passed that no white policeman will take a white guy out of
jail."
An East Rand man has also come
forward since the Carte Blanche investigation with similar claims.
"I got a beating from a
policeman. I'm disabled, I'm in a wheelchair and this guy took advantage of
that. There was not much I could do."
Gauteng police have said it's
unacceptable that the public fear police officers and action will be taken.
The police's Mashadi Selepe said
they will not tolerate any abuse by officers.
"We have zero tolerance in all
matters involving brutality or any other form of abuse of human rights. If we
have a situation where people are even scared to get into a police station it
raises concern."
Meanwhile, Gauteng Police
Commissioner Lesetja Mothiba on Monday gave strict instructions for the entire
Edenvale Police Station's management to be investigated and for one specific
officer to be served with a notice of suspension.
The police top management were
locked in meetings all day on Monday and said they took these claims extremely
seriously.
The police's Mashadi Selepe said
it's unacceptable that citizens must fear the very police officers who are
supposed to protect them.
"It's indeed a concern to us.
We can't have this situation, other than people coming to the police station to
open case, a police station is meant to be a central place to assist
people."
Police said they view these claims
in a serious light and will ensure appropriate punishment is meted out.
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