EMPD not law abiding law enforcers

He is disappointed in the EMPD drivers who he believes think they can bully their way through life by allegedly abusing the authority given to them through the positions that they hold.

It is the second time in less than a month that he says he has seen a convoy of EMPD vehicles speeding past his office for no apparent reason.

“They simply put their sirens on, literally forcing the other road users to the side of the road and then blatantly drive through red robots for no apparent reason other than bad behaviour. This is not the behaviour expected from someone in uniform, after all, this is why they have been employed in the first place – to enforce the law,” he says.

Van Eck says if the EMPD drivers feel they are entitled to disobey the law, the matter should be taken seriously by their superiors.

“The law stipulates that even an officer of the law needs to adhere to the laws of our country and the only exception should be in the case of an emergency or very extreme and special circumstance,” he says.

“Officers should set an example to the community and not just try to show off their authority,” he says.

“Respect can only be earned through leading by example but most often respect is confused with fear. It is never too late to make a change, the choice is ours,” says van Eck.

Wilfred Kgasago, EMPD spokesman, says it is possible that it could have been an operation of some sort or officers who responded to a serious matter, but the allegations will be investigated.

“If the officers were driving recklessly by skipping red lights and overtaking unsafely these officers will have to be reprimanded.

“Supplying registration numbers, a photo or video clip would have helped with the investigation, but we do apologise to van Eck and other motorists who were inconvenienced by the alleged unacceptable behaviour of some officers,” concludes Kgasago.