Bloemfontein - Free State police are investigating allegations that a group of policemen assaulted several Ficksburg residents over the weekend.
Colonel Thandi Mbambo said on Wednesday they were aware of the allegations involving a so-called “Rambo Squad” in and around Ficksburg on Saturday.
“Cases of assault against the police members as well as cases of defeating the ends of justice were registered at Ficksburg,” she said.
The Volksblad newspaper reported that two policemen were victims of the group when they apparently tried to intervene in one of the attacks.
According to the report a group of police officers, who allegedly call themselves the “Rambo Squad”, were involved in violent arrests on Saturday. Mbambo said police knew of no such squad in Ficksburg.
However, she confirmed that the two officers, who were off duty at the time, were arrested for allegedly interfering with on-duty officers questioning a suspect at a local tavern.
She refuted allegations by the public that officers at the Ficksburg police station did not take down statements involving cases of police assault.
“There is no truth to that as all cases reported were registered and referred to court, where they were provisionally withdrawn.”
Mbambo said the results of the investigation would be handed to the office of the provincial director of public prosecutions for a decision on how to proceed.
Sapa