Johannesburg - The City of Tshwane is set to crack the whip on a number of Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers who have been allegedly operating outside their juristic precinct, allegedly with private cars.
The TMPD says it has received multiple incidents of misconduct about their officers who have been encroaching on Diepsloot, which is under the City of Johannesburg.
In a recent incident that took place over the past weekend, two TMPD officers were arrested in Diepsloot, Johannesburg for operating outside their assigned area using a private vehicle.
In another incident, five TMPD officers were found operating outside of their assigned area. They did not disclose where and efforts to obtain this were unsuccessful.
It was later reported that a member of the public had allegedly been extorted and robbed. It is suspected that the same group of officers were responsible for this.
A criminal investigation looking into this incident has since been launched by the SAPS.
In another incident which is also currently under investigation, two officers were found using an unofficial breathalyser on a member of the public on the N1 South near Lynnwood Road.
As a part of its operations to rid the TMPD of corrupt officers, the City released a directive calling on Pretoria residents to fight possible corruption by reporting dodgy TMPD officers.
Acting Chief of Police, Basil Nkhwashu, has reminded the public of their rights:
– You have the right, and are in fact encouraged, to ask TMPD officers for their appointment certificates (a card identifying them as a police officer).
– You have the right, and are in fact encouraged, to record your encounter with TMPD officials.
Residents are also encouraged to takes videos and pictures of the officers, their appointment certificates, and their vehicles.
“It is important that we work together to clean up the TMPD and restore the people’s trust in our metro police,” said Nkhwashu.
Residents are also encouraged to report any wrongdoing by TMPD officers:
– Open a criminal case at the nearest police station.
– Report the matter to the TMPD Integrity Unit on 083 657 2998 and/or
– [email protected] to enable an internal investigation into the conduct.
– Report the matter to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) at [email protected].
“While we are working to clean up the TMPD, I know that there are many good officers who are still trying to make a difference out there. I want to thank them and encourage them to continue serving our communities with integrity.
“To the public, I would like to call upon our communities to give support and respect to our metro police when they carry out their duties lawfully and ethically,” said Nkhwashu.
Meanwhile Johannesburg Metro Police Department officers will soon be required to wear body cameras in a bid to combat rife corrupt practices such as the “cool drink” phenomena and to protect officers. This comes after the JMPD admitted to having concerns over corrupt activities within its ranks.
IOL