Police ‘are abusing their work permits’
Rogue police officers have been transporting and selling alcohol at inflated prices to the public in contravention of the regulations of the country’s lockdown over COVID-19.
Sunday World has learnt that the SA Police Service (SAPS) office in Gauteng has received complaints that some cops and officers of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) were abusing their permits by selling or dropping off alcohol to members of the public.
The police top brass in Gauteng told SAPS members at a meeting of the steering committee on COVID-19 on Wednesday that there was information that some cops were feeding the black market with alcohol.
“It was mentioned in the steering committee meeting this morning that there has been information that there have been police, especially metro, taking alcohol to people. All cars [including those of SAPS and JMPD] will now be searched at roadblocks,” a source who attended the meeting said.
“I would think it is people in their private cars because we have permits when we go to work,” the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. A member of the community in Gauteng spoke of how he was sold beers by a cop at an inflated price. He also said that they suspected the cop was getting the booze from a tavern owner.
The SAPS Gauteng office and JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnaar both referred questions to SAPS national spokesperson Vish Naidoo.
Naidoo said the details of meetings of the steering committee on COVID-19 were confidential but could not deny that there was information that some cops were involved in illicit trade of alcohol.
“The meetings in which such matters are discussed are classified and therefore cannot be discussed in the public domain. By virtue of the fact that these meetings address such issues is indicative that, firstly, we are monitoring all activities both by members of the public as well the police and secondly, something is being done to address these issues,” he said.
