Johannesburg - A former police reservist and his son were arrested in Eldorado Park on Wednesday night for allegedly using a SAPS uniform to commit crimes.
The arrest comes a day after the arrest of two former police officers, who were also accused of using police uniforms to commit crimes. They were found with bullets, police uniforms, unlicensed firearms and sirens.
Spokesman for the provincial police Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said police were doing routine patrolling in Eldorado Park when they spotted a man driving a vehicle fitted with blue lights. A police cap was on the dashboard but when they stopped the vehicle they realised it was not a police car.
Dlamini said when they questioned the 26-year-old man, he said it was his father’s car. He was arrested and police took him to the police station. His 63-year-old father arrived and produced a police appointment certificate and identified himself as a “warrant officer” but was also arrested.
When the police went to their house they found a 2.2 Winchester Rifle, a Mossberg Shotgun, 357Magnum Revolver, 34 R-5 rounds, 560 Revolver rounds, 67 SSG rounds of shotgun, 49 rounds of shotgun compression. They also found police uniform that included SAPS T-shirts, jackets, trousers, police torch and rifle holster and name tags.
Only a shotgun licence was produced. The vehicle, a VW Polo, has been impounded.
Asked where the pair could have got the uniform from, Dlamini said the old man used to be a police reservist in the 1990s. “However, when they leave, they are suppose to return the uniform. In this case, it seems as if he did not return it. Reservists must only wear the uniform while on duty (and) nowhere else ,” he said.
Among other things found at the house were two police ranks, one of inspector and sergeant. Dlamini said the father must have been promoted to those ranks while still a reservist.
“We don’t know where the son was coming from with a car that had blue lights and a police cap on the dashboard. We also don’t know what the old man has been using the old appointment card for but we are investigating that they might have been involved in criminal activities using police uniform,” Dlamini said.
Items seized during the search of the Eldorado Park house:
Weapons:
* One 2.2 Winchester Rifle
* One Mossberg Shotgun
* One 357Magnum Revolver
* Ammunition: 34 R-5 rounds, 560 Revolver rounds, 67 SSG rounds of shotgun, 49 rounds of shotgun compression.
Uniform:
* One field dress trouser, four SAPS T-shirts, two SAPS Golf shirts, one SAPS drymack, two SAPS bunny jackets, one ceremonial police trouser, one field dress trouser, one boiler SAPS suit jacket, three pairs of SAPS socks, four field dress SAPS caps, one ceremonial cap, two police ranks (inspector and sergeant), one police belt and two name tags.
Other
* Police torch and rifle holster.
According to police spokesman Colonel Kay Makhubela, it is alleged that the two former officers arrested on Tuesday also did not return their uniform when they resigned, but rather used it to commit crime and also lent it to their friends to do the same.
Makhubela said the two men are aged 51 and 54. One used to work for Germiston police while the other worked for the Soweto Dog Unit, he said.
While investigation into their alleged criminal activities are yet to be done, the men are suspected of being involved in robberies in Soweto, Roodepoort, Mpumalanga and Fordsburg.
On Thursday morning, National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega’s office said the arrest of two former police officers and a former police reservist for allegedly committing crimes using police uniforms was a matter of serious concern.
Her spokesman General Solomon Makgale said the issue of bogus police was such a serious concern that they have improved their controls in respect of issuance of uniform.
“The publicity generated by reports of bogus police has assisted in highlighting the issue and the community has been very supportive of SAPS improved controls by reporting possible fake police involved in criminal activities. We are very pleased with the recent breakthroughs. Given the measures we have put in place we are confident that there will be more arrests,” he said.
The Star