For some years now I have followed the Auto letter page with much interest. I do not recall a week that has passed without the mention of JMPD and EMPD. They have earned every bit of criticism. Their appearance, attitude and antics are beyond me.
Times have changed from the days when I trained “traffic officers”. No smoking and eating in public, without a cap, sleeping or slouching in a patrol vehicle. Can you honestly remember seeing an oversized T/O in days gone by? Today’s problem lies in the standard of training and the ridiculously low required pass mark. In some cases dismal failures will pass because of certain powers that be. It’s called nepotism. I recently witnessed an incident where a 45-year-old female driver in nursing uniform was body searched in full view of the general public.
The female EMPD “officer” searched inside the nurse’s underwear by placing her hands under-neath the uniform. I cannot find any legislation which empowers traffic authorities, or even the SAPS, the right to random searching. The nearest being if “reasonable ground for suspicion” that an offence has been committed and a delay in obtaining a search warrant would defeat the need to search.
Nothing in the Road Traffic Act (RTA) gives any traffic authority the right to random search without a search warrant. Anyone willing to prove me wrong? The public need to know their rights.
