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Eastern Cape cop back at work after pleading guilty to armed robbery, 12 more still on duty in province despite criminal records

Details

sapsDaily Maverick reports that a Nelson Mandela Bay police officer who pleaded guilty – in a disciplinary hearing – to charges of armed robbery, possession of stolen property and the possession of an unlicensed firearm has returned to work after a two-month suspension.

The officer, who had been working in the child protection unit at the Mount Road Police station has, however, been redeployed to a different police station. According to Eastern Cape MEC for Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha, the criminal matter was still ongoing. He also confirmed that 12 police officers with criminal convictions were currently serving in the SA Police Service (SAPS) in the province, and 217 cases involving police officers were under investigation. However, the DA’s Yusuf Cassim said there were serious irregularities with the officer’s disciplinary hearing. He said the hearing was chaired by a captain despite the SAPS Discipline Regulations of 2016 requiring that an officer with the rank of brigadier or higher had to chair such a case. “This breach raises serious questions about other disciplinary cases that have allowed convicted criminals to remain in positions where they are supposed to enforce the very laws they have been found guilty of breaking,” he stated. “I will be writing to the National Commissioner to request a comprehensive review of all SAPS members with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges in the Eastern Cape, including an examination of the disciplinary processes followed in each case and whether these processes complied with national regulations,” Cassim indicated.

  • Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Estelle Ellis at Daily Maverick


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