Two South African police officers investigated over private car used in operation
In Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, two officers from the Flying Squad rapid-response police unit have become subjects of an internal review after using a private vehicle while responding to information about stolen firearms. After checking this information, police detained a 52-year-old man and seized 11 firearms.
As Daily Maverick reports, intruders broke into the office of a private security company in the Newton Park area on August 31. They stole firearm safes and a Nissan NP200 vehicle. The vehicle was later found abandoned in KwaDwesi.
Internal review
According to the publication, detectives from Mount Road and Flying Squad officers checked the information they had received and arrived at a house on Gallant Street in the Polar Park area. There, they detained a man and seized nine shotguns and two semi-automatic rifles.
Two Flying Squad officers who were off duty received a tip and drove to the specified address in one of their own vehicles. They decided not to wait for another police unit to respond because of a lack of resources in their group.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Sipokazi Mawisa confirmed that an internal review is under way. According to her, this is a standard administrative procedure initiated when private transport is used for official duties. It is not disciplinary in nature and does not call the officers’ bravery into question.
Vehicle shortage
According to the publication, the Flying Squad in Nelson Mandela Bay does not have a suitable fleet of high-speed vehicles for rapid response and pursuits. Previously, unit members said it had been assigned a single-cab pickup, a double-cab pickup and a Golf GTI, but none of these vehicles is in proper technical condition or meets the group’s needs.
Last week, police announced that the Eastern Cape province is to receive 135 new official vehicles. Of these, 78 are planned to be allocated to criminal investigations, while another 57 will serve as support transport. Police did not disclose how the vehicles would be distributed among districts and specialized units, citing security and operational efficiency considerations.
