weekly newspaper.
A massive battle between the country’s top police officers is boiling over. In the midst of this, cops are trying to tackle crime, some of which is furthered by their own colleagues, leaving ordinary people exceptionally vulnerable.
Crime Intelligence officers are critical: they are meant to form an impenetrable barrier between the law-abiding residents of South Africa and local and global crooks.
But what happens if these officers abuse their positions and, instead of seeing to it that criminals are caught, join their ranks?
Well, suspicions and accusations in this realm are playing out. Yet again.
South Africa’s Crime Intelligence head, Peter Jacobs, has been suspended – according to him unfairly – for roughly three months. His suspension may be lifted on Wednesday.
The controversial disciplinary hearing focused on suspended Crime Intelligence boss Peter Jacobs and five of his colleagues, which was meant to run from the beginning to the end of this week, has been put on ice pending a Labour Court decision.
This development points to a stalemate between Jacobs and national police commissioner Khehla Sitole, who is seen as having pushed ahead with the suspensions that led to the disciplinary hearing that has become the latest source of claims of potentially unlawful actions at the hands of cops.
The suspensions of Jacobs and his five colleagues relate to allegations of personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement irregularities involving the Secret Service account.
Six suspended Crime Intelligence officers, including its head Peter Jacobs, have been the subject of an internal disciplinary hearing this week, but allegations have now surfaced that those running it are not entitled to have access to classified documents crucial to the process and will br.
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Peter Jacobs. (Jan Gerber, News24)
Just two days after national and provincial SAPS Crime Intelligence commanders were assured there was no crisis, five senior commanders of the division were suspended.
A senior Crime Intelligence source raised concerns over the power vacuum and lack of expertise to ensure operations continue to run as normal.
The suspensions are apparently linked to the reasons given for the ousting of Peter Jacobs, but have effectively removed failsafe controls over access to secret slush funds.
The police s national Crime Intelligence (CI) division has been plunged deeper into a leadership crisis with the suspensions of five high-ranking officers on Wednesday and Thursday.