Cop verbally abuses man trying to reclaim nephew’s car
Many citizens face similar treatment
Car thieves who target residents’ vehicles are blind to the repercussions of this crime. It extends beyond just a vehicle no longer in the victim’s possession.
Having a vehicle stolen goes along with the time taken off work and spent at the Vehicle Identification Service Unit once the car is recovered.
The Carney family of Eldorado Park Extension Two, experienced just how taxing it can be on a person whose car has been stolen. Adrian Carney (26) purchased a second-hand vehicle, followed what he thought were the correct regulations and had the vehicle registered for use on our roads.
The young man would be sorely disappointed as the vehicle was stolen in 2015. Carney reported the theft at his local police station and the subsequent investigation yielded no results.
Carney’s family banded together and a cash reward for information leading to the recovery pointed them to the culprits. One man was arrested and the vehicle was impounded at the Lenasia Vehicle Identification Service Unit (VIS).
The impounding of his vehicle meant that Carney would need to travel to Lenasia on numerous occasions as he attempted to get the car back.
He finally resorted to signing over rights to the vehicle to his uncle, Danny Carney on the basis that he worked night shift and would be able to commute to and from Lenasia as the family tried getting the car back.
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According to Danny, an offer was made to Adrian that, if he paid out R7,000.00, a ‘plan’ would be made and the vehicle returned.
The offer was turned down by a dismayed Adrian who informed his uncle and the next two years would prove fruitless as Danny went from pillar to post and no vehicle to show for his efforts.
According to Danny, “The officer that handled the case was officer Khazi and the ‘blue’ docket has since been handed over to warrant officer Hlabathi.
“He refused to hand back the car without any valid reason. They asked if we can give them R7000.00 to release the car.
“I enquired why and his only comment is that the car is not right, so they can’t release the car. We had endless problems with him (officer Hlabathi). The car is still complete in storage as we looked at it on April 3rd.”
“Danny said that subsequent interactions with Hlabathi have resulted in abuse being hurled at him and new reasons provided for not releasing the vehicle.”
“First there was a problem with the car, and now they say that the car has been tampered with, but he is not providing me with exactly how it’s been tampered with.
“Also, the vehicle was registered prior to the theft, so it stands to reason that the men who stole the vehicle may have tampered with it.”
In an attempt to get a comment from Warrant Officer Hlabathi via telephone on April 6, Hlabathi said, “I don’t give any information to journalists about an investigation.
“The police spokesperson is the only one allowed to do so.”
As of April 9, the car has been forfeited to the state and earmarked to be destroyed. Danny views this as a cynical act of spite and believes that had the R7,000.00 been paid, the car would have been handed back to the Carney family.
He has since approached the Independent Police Investigative Directive for assistance and wishes to thank captain Moses Tau for providing assistance and referring him to the provincial arm of the South African Police Service in the hopes that the matter receives attention.
Audio clip of the treatment Danny Carney received at the hands of police can be heard below:
Video clip Danny Carney can be seen below:
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