A 33-year-old police constable is expected to appear in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court in the Western Cape on Tuesday on several charges including theft and corruption.
The officer, stationed at the Kwanokuthula police station, was arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as Hawks.
The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi said officers from the Serious Corruption Investigation team, Priority Crime Management Centre teams based in George with the cooperation of Public Order Police arrested the police officer on Monday, March 4.
The police constable faces charges of corruption, fraud, forgery, theft, and obstructing the administration of justice.
“This arrest emanates from August 2023 when the suspect irregularly withdrew a house-breaking case without the complainant's knowledge and allegedly released a suspect.
“A withdrawal statement was filed in the docket but the signature was not that of the complainant. He further demanded money for bail in the amount of R500 from the suspect,” Vukubi said.
It has been further alleged that the police constable also stole from the suspect.
Vukubi said the police constable took a R200 and a belt of the suspect during the arrest, however, the items were never lawfully returned to the owner.
In a separate incident, a 44-year-old police officer stationed at Diep River police station in the southern suburbs of Cape Town was arrested in Beaufort West after he was found in possession of drugs worth over R200,000.
The officer who was driving a Toyota Verso taxi was stopped and searched on the N1 at Beaufort West.
Police found mandrax and tik with an estimated street value of R226,475 in his backpack.