Three Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) members landed in hot water after video footage recorded officers requesting a bribe spread on social media.
In the recording, an TMPD officer instructs the motorist to drive to a nearby ATM to withdraw money to pay a bribe for allegedly speeding on the N1 near Midrand at the weekend.
The department was aware of the video circulating on social media, said TMPD spokesperson Superintendent Isaac Mahamba.
“The members have been identified and arrested and will appear in court. We have started with internal disciplinary processes and will update the public,” he said.
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Action Society founder Ian Cameron said bribery has been a massive problem in the TMPD for the past four years. Cameron said it was frustrating because bribery was something you needed to report to the police. “Unfortunately, [the] police also have corrupt officers.
“There is a general problem in policing. The only province that doesn’t nearly have the same problem with corruption is the Western Cape,” he said.
Cameron said the Cape Town Metro Police was far ahead of the rest of the country in terms of law enforcement by traffic and local law enforcement. Police consultant former Brigadier Stefan Grobler said there were various reasons for bribery.
“When officers come into the organisation, they learn the bad behaviour from the other officers. It’s like a puppy learning from an old dog. It happens in the police, in the metro and the municipalities,” he said.
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“They work in a syndicate and split the money at the end of the shift. “It’s all about greed, avarice and gullibility and the faith that he will get away with it.”
Grobler said the motorist could refuse to pay the bribe and ask to speak to the commander.
“Many motorists immediately offer the officer a bribe after the officer orders them to pull over.”
Grobler added a motorist who paid the bribe was just as guilty as the officer who took it.
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