The North West MEC for the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng, has welcomed the arrest of five police officers for stock theft and possession of endangered animals.
The three detectives are stationed in Vryburg and were granted bail of R1000 each by the Vryburg Magistrates Court for allegedly stealing four sheep belonging to a local farmer.
According to the police, the suspects were caught on security cameras loading the sheep into a vehicle, which was later confirmed that it belonged to the Vryburg Detectives.
“Further investigation led the police to a house in Dithakwaneng village outside Vryburg where a skinned carcass of a sheep was found. The three officers were then arrested alongside an accomplice at whose house the carcass was found. The three officers were granted R1 000 bail, and the accomplice was also released on R 500, and the matter was postponed to next November,” read a police statement.
Meanwhile, in another unrelated matter, two officers stationed at Sun City Police Station near Rustenburg, were arrested in an undercover operation in Pretoria for possession of endangered specimens.
The two officers, who were allegedly accompanied by two civilians, were nabbed by their colleagues who were undercover, while attempting to sell pangolins for R 160 000.
Morweng says the officers’ arrests is an indication that no one is above the law.
“In order to clean the system and restore the confidence of communities in law enforcement, we must arrest those that contravene the law among our ranks. We welcome their arrest and applaud the police applying the law indiscriminately,” said Morweng.
