Wayne Minnaar, the spokesperson for the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), has released a statement on how roadblocks work as the festive season approaches.
According to Minnaar, JMPD officers may, in terms of the National Road Act, perform road-side routine checks, where officers in full uniform may stop vehicles on the side of the road, and ask to see the driver’s license. They may check a vehicle without a warrant to see if it is roadworthy.
An officer in uniform is obliged to show his or her appointment card. Officers can search a vehicle without a warrant if they have reasonable suspicion to do so and arrest a suspect for a crime without a warrant, if waiting for a warrant will defeat the objective of such arrest.
He concluded that drunken drivers may be arrested and detained at a police station after a breathalyser test or blood sample was taken. A person may be arrested for refusing to give name and address, or for obstructing an officer in the execution of their duties.
Details: Ask the Chief JMPD Facebook page.
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