Bogus metro cop arrested at funeral

Published Jan 26, 2015

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Johannesburg - A man impersonating an Ekurhuleni metro police officer was arrested on Saturday after an inspector was given a tip-off while monitoring a funeral procession.

Metro police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago said the inspector was at Kromvlei cemetery on Saturday morning when a member of a vehicle tracking company informed her about a vehicle displaying the metro police’s badges on its front doors.

The officer requested back-up and arrested the 32-year-old man.

“His black Toyota Run-X was displaying a portable blue light on the roof and magnetic metro police insignia on its front doors. He had a metro police reflective jacket and a baseball cap on, which he claimed he purchased at a company in Robertsham, Joburg,” said Kgasago.

The spokesman said the impersonator eventually revealed that he had qualified as a pointsman at the metro police training academy in May 2007 and had approval from the metro police to assist funeral processions at busy intersections.

“He was found in possession of a licensed 9mm Taurus pistol loaded with 13 live rounds. The suspect was charged (at the Brackendowns police station) with impersonating a metro police officer and is expected to appear in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Monday,” said Kgasago.

In a similar incident, a man pretending to be an SAPS officer was caught out by a resident of the area he was patrolling.

James Starkey of Sundowner in Randburg took to Facebook on Thursday to vent his anger about an encounter he had with a fake cop the previous day.

A man in civilian clothes in an unmarked vehicle pulled out a badge and asked Starkey to pull over in Linden. After Starkey, a private investigator, produced his business card, the “officer” said he could leave, but Starkey sensed something was amiss.

“He said I was free to go. However, I smelt a rat and asked the alleged plainclothes captain for his ID, which he then refused to show me, saying I must follow him to Linden SAPS.

“I declined the offer as protocol states he must show me there and then, and I said: ‘We can go, but in my vehicle’,” said Starkey.

When the “cop” tried to drive off, Starkey took his car keys and a struggle broke out.

The “officer” allegedly pulled out his pistol, but Starkey disarmed him.

“I asked bystanders to call the real police. A local security company got involved and I gave them the firearm and keys, which they very stupidly, or intentionally, left lying in the suspect’s car, and as the SAPS arrived, he had managed to escape, gun and all,” Starkey said, adding that he was furious when that happened.

The Randburg Sun reported that a case of assault was opened at Linden police station.

Linden police operations commander Captain Alex Vermaak said on Sunday that he could neither confirm nor deny whether the suspect was a police officer, but advised: “A police officer must always present his ID on the spot. If he claims to be police, then he must present his ID; if not, then he is not a cop. We have a unique ID with a hologram that cannot be copied.”

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The Star

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