The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) boss Robert McBride says the police watchdog is currently investigating ten rogue top police generals for alleged corruption.
In an interview with SABC News, McBride says corruption involving billions of rand has allegedly been continuing unhindered in the police service. He says lack of responsible and permanent leadership within the service might have contributed to lawlessness in it.
McBride says the police watchdog is investigating serious corruption cases by ten police Generals, involving billions of rands. He says the investigations are at an advanced stage and the police watchdog is confident that the senior police officers investigated will appear in court soon.
“The corruption within SAPS is one of the biggest threats to the national security. The reason is simple if people are involved in thieving they won’t focus or position themselves, or concentrate on fighting crime. So every need that is created, every emergency demand that is created is about filling pockets; it is not about contributing to the fight against crime.”
McBride has conceded that the IPID is aware that fighting corruption in the police force will not be easy. “It’s expected that where you are investigating corrupt police officers there will be a push back. Police know the law, they know how to investigate crime, and they know how to mope cases. They also know how to succumb the law, protect the law from having effect on them. They also know how to obey the law and we have seen quite a litany of them. We have seen policemen getting sentenced and jailed for corruption as part of some investigations we have done. It is done regularly.”
McBride says corrupt police officers should not be allowed in the force. “If other countries see that our officers, our senior officers forsake their oath, forsake their values their own traditional values and the values enshrined in the Constitution and opt for money for immediate gratification, we will become a tempting target by foreign forces and they will have a go at us.”
McBride says with or without him at the helm of the police watchdog no amounts of intimidation will stop the IPID from doing their mandatory work of holding police accountable.
