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DA calls for cop station boss to be suspended

Minister of Safety and Security, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, during a press briefing at the Union Buildings Pretoria. Pic: THYS DULLAART. 05/03/2009. © The Times.
Minister of Safety and Security, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, during a press briefing at the Union Buildings Pretoria. Pic: THYS DULLAART. 05/03/2009. © The Times.

THE DA in KwaZulu-Natal has called for the immediate suspension of Pietermaritzburg's Mountain Rise police station commissioner.

Hariram Badul is still at the helm of the station despite Minister of Safety and Security Nathi Mthethwa's instruction that he be criminally charged.

Mountain Rise is one of the stations from the country's three major provinces, Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where the police were implicated in a conspiracy to make it appear as if they were winning the war on crime by manipulating crime statistics.

At least five stations in the Western Cape, four in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal were fingered in the alleged fiddling.

They were accused of allegedly stockpiling, hiding, burning and ditching dockets, which include dockets of crimes that are allegedly on the increase, such as child rape.

They also allegedly failed to register crimes that have a low chance of prosecution and reduced serious crimes to lesser charges.

The station is now under investigation by the Independent Complaints Directorate for allegedly stockpiling and destroying about 200 unregistered dockets that were allegedly stockpiled since 2007.

The DA's community safety spokesperson, Sizwe Mchunu, said: "Our request for the station commissioner's suspension to former MEC Bheki Cele fell on deaf ears.

"We call on new MEC Willies Mchunu to remove Badul, pending the outcome of a formal investigation. It is our belief that the outcome of any investigation will be compromised while he is still ensconced as station commissioner."

Mchunu said the DA remained committed to unearthing the truth around the rigging of crime statistics in the province.

"We believe that the allegations against Mountain Rise SAPS are just the tip of the iceberg. We will take immediate action by submitting parliamentary questions to the MEC," he said.

Police Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said: "We view this matter as very sensitive. It is currently pending internal investigation by a very senior provincial member. Once the investigation has been concluded, the Provincial Commissioner would apply his mind objectively."

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