News24 reports that at least 27 officers of South Africa's Crime Intelligence division have criminal records. This was revealed in an answer from Police Minister Bheki Cele to a written parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Dianne Kohler Barnard.
The reply reads: "20 members' criminal records relate to contraventions of the Road Traffic Act, whilst seven [are] of a serious nature." Cele stated further that newly-appointed head of the Crime Intelligence Unit, Lieutenant General Peter Jacobs, was investigating the "circumstances surrounding" the seven serious cases. Kohler Barnard said in a statement released on Monday: "Police Minister Bheki Cele inherited this problem, but he cannot allow criminals to remain in the SAPS and must account for those found guilty of crimes immediately. Criminals cannot be responsible for keeping our country safe. This once again highlights a nationwide problem of police members with criminal records and raises questions about the effectiveness of the police top brass." In his budget speech on 15 May, Cele said the police were in the process of a Crime Intelligence overhaul.
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