Four police trainees who were expected in the Philippi Magistrate’s Court for the possession of live ammunition, have been released and their charges withdrawn due to insufficient evidence.
The trainees – one woman and three men – were arrested at the Philippi Police Training College at the weekend following a raid. They were expected in court on Tuesday.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “The matter was not enrolled due to insufficient evidence.”
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed the arrests.
“They allegedly didn’t hand in all their rounds after a day of training at the shooting range. They were found with one round each. They appeared at the Philippi Magistrate’s court. Internal departmental processes in line with the SAPS 2016 disciplinary regulations are also currently under way,” said Mathe.
South African Police Union (Sapu) provincial secretary Simon Rakgokong said: “What we know is that the trainees were allegedly in the possession of one live round of ammunition (among) the four of them.
“They were (on Tuesday) brought before court and ... there was no prospect of successful prosecution. We respect the law as Sapu and we trust the process. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and that is what happened.”
Meanwhile, community safety director for civil rights organisation Action Society, Ian Cameron, questioned the vetting process at the SAPS training colleges.
“We have reported application fraud by the trainees at the colleges several times. There have been people who went through the correct process who did not get access, and others paid their way,” said Cameron.
Earlier this year, Action Society highlighted its concerns about bribery allegations relating to the SAPS trainee selection processes after the police confirmed three suspects had been arrested for collusion over alleged irregularities in the recruitment and selection processes of SAPS trainees.
Cape Times