SAPS unfairly accused on Facebook
Brakpan police have set the record straight regarding a social media post in which they are accused of releasing a group of "robbers" from custody because the men did not have previous criminal records.
The local SAPS came under fire from residents on a Brakpan Facebook group after a post about a supposed robbery at a café along Prince George Avenue over the Easter weekend – and while some of the details were accurate, the conclusion was wrong.
The post stated that three men robbed a shop with a plastic gun, and after being apprehended by a local security company, were let go by police.
A portion of the post reads:”The responding SAPS officers ran the robbers’ ID numbers, and get this….THEY LET THE THREE ROBBERS GO!!!!!! Why? Because they do not have previous records against their names?!”
This statement was accepted as fact and the police found themselves under harsh criticism.
The robbery, however, never took place.
According to Capt Pearl van Staad, spokesperson for the Brakpan SAPS, three men entered the shop in question at about 9pm on Saturday, April 29, to buy something to eat.
“While they were in the shop, the manager saw one of the men with what he thought was a real firearm,” she said.
“The group paid for their food and left the shop, where they headed across the road to where their car was parked at the petrol station.
“They then sat in their car and ate their food.”
Van Staad told the Herald that the shop’s manager was suspicious of the trio and feared they were going to rob him, so he pressed the panic button.
“His security company found the men in the car and found a toy gun in their possession,” she said.
Van Staad explained that police were notified and two reservists attended the scene.
“The shop manager did not open a case and the men were let go because no crime was committed,” she said.
The captain confirmed that the incident was entered into the SAPS occurrence book, which is a record of events kept at a police station.
The Herald spoke with Shawn Raper, owner of Secure Tech, the security company involved in the incident, who substantiated the police’s account of events.
“My officers responded and the client said the guys had robbed the shop,” he explained.
“They were directed across the road to the petrol station, where the guys were found in a car and searched.
“A plastic gun was found and the police were called, but when they arrived the client told them there was no armed robbery.
“He told them he had seen the firearm in the waistband of one of the guy’s pants and panicked.”
Raper was present on the scene and remarked that the police officers handled the matter by the book.
“No crime took place and what they did was absolutely right,” he said.
The manager of the café, who asked that his name and that of his shop not be published, admitted to the Herald that he was scared when he saw the gun.
He reiterated that there was no armed robbery.
The 36-year-old Bangladeshi national had heard about an incident earlier that day, in which a response officer from a security company was shot when he responded to a robbery at a liquor store, also along Prince George Avenue.
A gang of about eight men entered the bottle store at around 10.30am and threatened staff at gunpoint.
One of the robbers opened fire on the response officer as he arrived, shooting him in the neck.
“That’s what I thought of when I saw the gun,” commented the manager.
“I didn’t know it was a toy and I was scared.”
The manager, who has lived in South Africa for nine years, relayed that armed robbers targeted his café about a year and a half ago.
“They came in with guns and took money,” he said.
He added that he doesn’t understand why anybody would carry a plastic firearm if not to use it to commit robbery.
The Herald posed this question to Van Staad and also asked: What if the men were planning to rob the shop, but were caught beforehand and then let go? What if they went off to rob a different shop?
“There was no evidence to suggest this and it is not our job to assume,” she said.
“It is not illegal to own a toy gun and we are absolutely confident that no crime was planned.”
This incident is by no means the first time misinformation has spread like wildfire throughout the town.
The Herald reported in our April 14 edition how a WhatsApp message with false information caused unnecessary panic among residents.
Read the story here: WhatsApp boodskap oor gewapende mense saai onnodig paniek
The message went viral on April 7, the day of the nationwide Anti-Zuma marches, and warned that a group of men armed with pangas had gathered in Jones Avenue.
It was implied that the men were going to cause violence.
The Herald visited the address and found an eviction underway – and while furniture and other personal belongings were found on the sidewalk, there were no dangerous weapons in sight.
Police also quashed the rumour and urged people to act responsibly and not use social media to distribute lies.
When speaking to the Herald, Raper expressed his concern about the number of untruths being shared on social media platforms.
He recalled a recent post he saw on Facebook in which a traffic collision near his business premises had been labelled as a cash-in-transit heist.
“It’s not right that people just make this stuff up,” he added.
The dos and don’ts of social media
How to avoid landing in hot water on social media:
• What is expected of a person who has an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc?
When someone opens an account on one of the above social media networks, they need to ensure that they set up their privacy settings.
Make sure a limited number of people are able to view your profile, i.e. your friends or close friends on social media.
On Facebook and Instagram, you can put your settings on private.
That way, in order for someone to follow you, a request has to be sent to you and you can then decide to accept or decline the request.
Twitter, however, is more open than other apps and one should be very careful about what you say on the platform, as it is public and followed by many.
• What should people be aware of when posting on social media?
People on these social networks need to be careful what they post, as posts may be used against them and may result in legal action being instituted.
People should keep their posts limited and watch which photos they upload – not only of themselves, but of others as well.
Defamatory remarks must be avoided at all times.
Remember: social networking sites spread much faster than word of mouth.
Treat the Internet as a billboard on a busy highway.
Post only what you are willing to show everyone and will not be ashamed of after publication.
• How can a person be held liable for their posts?
You can post anything you wish, as you do have the right to freedom of expression, as stipulated in the constitution; however, this must be done within reason.
One may not post hate speech, incite others or provoke others, or make defamatory remarks or remarks that will ruin someone’s good reputation.
Should anyone do any of the above, there will often be legal consequences.
Sharing a post of someone else that is in contravention with the constitution will result in the person who shared the comment being liable, as well as the author thereof.
• Do companies have the right to take action against their employees who post inappropriate content on social media?
Yes. Companies do have the right to take legal action against employees who post inappropriate content on social media.
Where an employee makes defamatory remarks about an employer or another employee, they may face grave consequences.
If someone sees that content, regardless of whether it was during working hours or not, they will still be liable.
A company may either hold a disciplinary enquiry, or the employee may be dismissed for having posted such content.
If the remarks put the company’s name in disrepute, they may institute a civil claim.
• What are the steps that can be taken to make sure offensive content is not posted?
Think, think and think again.
Do not share an article without first reading it properly.
This will limit you from making a very stupid and costly mistake.
Source: www.benonicitytimes.co.za
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