Uitenhage – Eastern Cape police management warned police officers on Sunday to ensure they do not get involved in criminal activity after another police constable was arrested for robbery in Uitenhage on Saturday.
Eastern Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga said it was disturbing and disheartening to receive news of a police member's involvement in criminal activities and assured the public that any officer found on the wrong side of the law would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.
It was alleged that at about 11pm on Saturday a 32-year-old off-duty policeman in a marked police vehicle approached a foreign national at a petrol station in Caledon Street, Uitenhage, Sergeant Majola Nkohli said.
"The policeman demanded to see the victim's work permit and when the victim failed to produce the necessary documentation he was forced to collect the documents from his home."
Upon arrival at the man’s residence, the policeman, who was in the company of another man, allegedly pointed his firearm at the victim. The pair searched the victim and stole cash and car keys before making off in the police vehicle, Nkohli said.
The victim immediately reported the matter at Uitenhage police station and moments later the police vehicle was spotted in Kamesh and stopped in Palm Drive. "The driver, a policeman, who was found to be driving under influence of liquor, and his passenger, a member of the public, were immediately arrested. The stolen car keys of the victim were found in possession of the suspects. A police firearm with ammunition was also seized."
The arrested constable was stationed at the rapid rail police unit in Port Elizabeth. He and his 25-year-old accomplice would appear in the Uitenhage Magistrate’s Court on charges of robbery.
The constable would face additional charges of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor and contravening the Firearms Act. An internal investigation in terms of the South African Police Service (SAPS) disciplinary regulations had also been instituted following the constable's arrest, Nkohli said.