Loss of trust in the local police to carry out their duties effectively and to serve and protect the community, has taken a further dip, after ‘police’ stand accused of robbing a local family recently.
It is a fact that many police officials, have turned to becoming rogue elements, accosting their victims at any given opportunity, mainly on isolated roads, resulting in more and more motorists fearing to stop for ‘police blue light’ flashing cars, and uniformed ‘police officials’. The top police brass have, to date, not yet dealt with this problem effectively, nor have they given a clear directive to motorists as to what to do when being stopped by suspicious ‘police officials’.
In the latest incident of “police attack”, reported to the Laudium Sun, which took place not far from the local police station, a Laudium family was attacked by an armed gang, dressed in police uniform. Resident Cassim Hussin of Garnet Str, told the Laudium Sun, “On that Thursday, I had just come back from Limpopo at around 9pm with my wife and 13 year old son. I was driving my silver Mercedes Benz and before dropping them off in Emerald Street, we went to my home on Garnet Str, to fetch a few of their clothes. Therefore, I did not bother locking the gate when I parked my Merc in the yard. While we were inside the house, all of a sudden four cops dressed in private clothes but wearing reflective police jackets and armed, rushed into the house. They asked me if I was Cassim, so I replied in the affirmative. They told me that they were at my home as they had received information that I kept drugs at my house and they wanted to search my house for the drugs. I explained to them that I do not sell or keep drugs and that they had the wrong person or that someone was just trying to cause problems for me. But these ‘cops’ did not want to hear anything. They even brought the family, a husband, wife and two kids, who were living in the outer building, into my house and made them sit in the dining room. I did not want any problem with these guys, who I believed at the time were genuine cops, so I let them search my house, as I also wanted to prove to others that I was innocent. My wife and son were with me in the room, while these guys were searching. They started throwing things around and breaking things, but I remained calm. While they were searching my room, they found some of my savings which I kept in my draw on the side of my bed. They also took all our cellphones. I tried to resist giving them my cellphone, but one of them threatened to shoot me, so I let it be. That is when I realised that these guys were the bad guys. They were either the bad and corrupt cops or thugs disguised as cops. They then asked me for my Merc’s keys, so I gave it to them, as I was afraid that they could harm me or my family.”
Previous incident
Cassim added, “Whilst the four ‘cops’ were talking, I recognized one of the guys, as the same guy who pointed a firearm at me in Itireleng last month. It was on the 8th of December, on a Wednesday, at around 4pm, when I went to meet a friend in Itireleng. I parked my car near the sports ground and got into his car. Whilst chatting in his Citi Golf, two thugs approached, pointing firearms at us. They asked us to get out of the car. I told my friend not to get out, but rather to drive away. Fortunately, it seemed that their guns were not loaded or they just did not shoot at us, as they used their guns to hit the window while we were driving off. We did not report this incident to the police as we did not have the number plate of the White GTI with which they tried to chase us.”
Bilal Ahmed, a neighbour of Cassim, who also lives on Garnet Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I was on the phone outside my house on that Thursday night, when I saw the silver Merc of Cassim pulling up. Not long thereafter I saw a White GTI Golf pulling up. I wondered what was happening, but I didn’t really bother further. I only found out later that my neighbour had been robbed.”
Sgt Simon Chokoe of the Laudium Police said, “There has been a case opened and the matter is under investigation.”
