12 Police Officers Arrested For Breaking Lockdown Regulations

Twelve police officers have been arrested in three separate incidents for allegedly contravening lockdown regulations.

Images of five SAPS members have been widely shared on social media after they were handcuffed over the weekend for allegedly drinking alcohol at a local tavern in Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State.

In another crime, six members of the Brooklyn and Silverton police stations in Pretoria were arrested after stealing more than R30,000 from a group of people passing through a roadblock.

It is understood that the officers also demanded bribes from motorists who failed to provide the correct documentation.

In the third incident, an official was detained after he allegedly held a gathering at the police barracks in Soshanguve.

Police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said that all the members faced criminal charges for violating the National Disaster Management regulations.

“We have constantly been sending warnings and reminders to our members of the dire consequences they’re likely to face if they continue to commit crimes because this is not the first time that this has happened we’ve arrested our own since the start of this lockdown and of course it’s just a few members that we’ve arrested compared to the greater majority that have been doing very good work and we will still continue to warn our members about the consequences of their actions should they continue to commit such crimes.”

EWN