Four Limpopo station commanders appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Friday for allegedly manipulating crime statistics in Tzaneen, police said.
Lt-Col Ronel Otto said the four officers appeared briefly in court and that the case was postponed until February 22 for bail applications.
Brigadier Naledzani Sivhula, 48, Captain Matome Matsapola, 51, Brigadier Nelson Mulaudzi, 50, and Lt-Col Mahlodi Ramokgobedi, 49, are charged with defeating the ends of justice.
Investigations began when the crime statistics for Tzaneen were found to be inaccurate and that serious crimes had been deliberately covered up in 2008.
The investigation found murder cases had been reduced to inquests and that housebreakings had been described as trespassing. - Sapa