Arrested cop released on bail

ONE of the four police officers arrested for corruption in Worcester, Hannes Beukman, was granted R2 000 bail in the Worcester Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

The court administrator said it was not yet clear when others would appear.

This comes after two warrant officers, aged 45 and 48, and two sergeants, aged 43 and 53, were arrested at the Worcester police station on Monday by the detectives from the provincial Anti-Corruption Unit.

Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said their arrest followed an investigation into allegations of alleged corruption by police officials in the area.

Van Wyk said it was alleged that several shopkeepers in Worcester paid officers between June 4 to 21 to avoid being arrested for selling cigarettes during lockdown.

“The officers were identified and linked to the incidents by means of witness statements, video footage, duty registers and automatic vehicle location reports,” he said. Van Wyk said the dockets were brought before the Director of Public Prosecutions, who decided to prosecute the officers on charges of corruption.

“The police management remains committed to uprooting all forms of corruption.”

Reagen Allen, MPL and DA Western Cape spokesperson for community safety, said he would follow the outcome of the court case closely to ensure appropriate action was taken for the alleged offences.

Allen said crime by any police officer must be condemned with the contempt it deserves, regardless of the nature of the crime

“The conviction rate of officers who are found guilty currently stands at a mere 1,3%. We cannot allow those we have ought trust with our safety to continue to jeopardise our safety networks,” he said. |