The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) in the North West Province is calling for an immediate and transparent investigation into what it called an “appalling and disgraceful” conduct of the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng.
This after he allegedly publicly “assaulted” a police officer during a funeral service over the weekend in Swartruggens. The union said an appropriate disciplinary action must be taken against the acting Provincial Commissioner.In a 49-seconds long widely circulated video clip, Major General Asaneng is heard shouting “in uniform” several times to the allegedly intoxicated police member, before removing his police epaulettes.Speaking on You FM Newshour, POPCRU Provincial Secretary Johannes Dire said that Asaneng, as a senior police officer, should have handled the situation better.
“Regardless of the misconduct the member might have committed, this incident is not only an embarrassment to the leadership of SAPS but also an outright violation of the dignity and rights of the affected officer. It is deeply concerning that a high-ranking official, who is entrusted with upholding discipline, integrity, and professionalism within the police service, would resort to such violent and unacceptable behaviour,” said Dire.In addition, Dire said the union views this “assault” as a gross abuse of power and a direct contradiction of the ethical and professional standards expected from police leadership.“He (Asaneng) should have moved to enforce the SAPS disciplinary regulations which are sub-regulations that are proclamated by Parliament. The purpose of this disciplinary regulation is to regulate the conduct of members of the SAPS including the Acting Provincial commissioner himself. We are expected to uphold the law but more importantly we are expected to uphold the integrity of the SAPS, so if the alleged victim was drinking liquor, our expectation is that the Acting Provincial Commissioner should have enforced those regulations,” explained Dire.
Furthermore, the union has called for investigations into the matter and for action to be taken.“We demand an immediate and transparent investigation into this incident, with appropriate disciplinary action taken against the Acting Provincial Commissioner. No police officer should be subjected to humiliation or assault, especially by those who are supposed to lead by example.Furthermore, we call on the National Police Commissioner and the Minister of Police to take decisive action to prevent such conduct from being tolerated within SAPS,” remarked Dire. Meanwhile, the national police said they’ll only comment on the matter at a later stage.
