Citizens deserve the cops’ respect

Although we do not like taxpayer money being wasted, we welcome the order from the High Court in Pretoria that the minister of police pay R500 000 in damages to a Pretoria woman who was locked up in a police cell for 13 hours because she was too afraid to stop when plainclothes policemen tried to pull her off the road in the early hours of the morning.

Lesedi Malatsi, 37, claimed the experience of being locked up in police cells with sex workers and criminals traumatised her to the extent that she now battles to sleep, has flashbacks of the incident and is short-tempered.

Malatsi also said she now resents the police.

We wonder how many thousands of other South Africans find themselves in a similar situation – because many of our police personnel regard themselves as above the law and have little respect for human rights.

It’s an issue new police minister Bheki Cele needs to address with as much vigour as his promises that police will get tough and crack down on crime.

Although police officers enforce the law and prevent crime, they must never forget that they work for us, the people. And we are entitled to respect.

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