Newcastle K9 officer faces disciplinary action following negligent driving on N3
The officer in question, a 35-year-old Sergeant assigned to Newcastle K9, was arrested on January 13 on suspicion of drunken and negligent driving. Read more here:
A Newcastle K9 Sergeant is in hot water after he was caught on camera driving recklessly on the N3 Highway in Pietermaritzburg.
Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in KwaZulu-Natal, lauded a community member who recorded the cellphone footage circulating on social media in which a marked police van can be seen driving at high speeds, disregarding traffic laws and colliding with other vehicles.
The 35-year-old was arrested on January 13 on suspicion of drunken and negligent driving. Internal disciplinary actions have already been taken against him, and the process is still on-going.
Watch as the K9 Unit Officer is caught on camera driving recklessly on the N3 near Pietermaritzburg:
Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi strongly condemned the Sergeant’s actions at the time, calling them ‘barbaric, unprofessional, and uncalled for.’
He stated that there is no room for police officers who disregard the law and become the law in their own right.
“Police officers carry the hopes of the nation and we cannot afford to have members within our ranks whose behaviour and actions seek to reverse all the gains that hard-working police officers have attained in restoring people’s trust in the police. His actions are completely contrary to what we stand for as police officers in this province, and appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken against him. His case study will serve as a deterrent to other police officers who may have had delusory thoughts that police internal disciplinary actions have softened,” Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi said.
Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi also urged community members to continue exposing and reporting unprofessional behaviour by police officers on the job.
“No police officer must transport his children to and from school using a state vehicle; no police officer is allowed to do shopping with a state vehicle. Such rogue elements must be reported, and those who violate the service’s rules will face appropriate consequences. Police officers must maintain professional standards at all times, and state resources, including vehicles and other policing tools, must be used responsibly and managed properly at all times,” added Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.
All unprofessional police behaviour, illegal actions, and community disservice can be reported to Crime Stoppers at 08600 10111. Anonymous tips can also be sent through the MySAPS App.
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