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JOHANNESBURG - Hordes of motorists will be arrested between now and Christmas – even for minor offences – as the Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) declares a zero-tolerance policy.
JMPD spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar made this pledge after his department arrested six motorists, one the mother of a four-month-old baby, for ordinary traffic offences and had them locked up in cells in the Florida Police Station for more than eight hours yesterday.
“That is why everybody refers to the JMPD as Thugs in Uniforms,” said a very upset family member.
According to Senior Superintendent Cassie Rautenbach, Station Commissioner of Florida, the metro police had charged the motorists with reckless and negligent driving, a criminal offence.
“The SAPS must open a criminal case docket, and there is no possibility of paying an admission-of-guilt (fine) for disobeying an arrow on the road, when they are charged with reckless and negligent driving,” he said.
A very upset Stephany Bentley, a bank employee, told The Citizen from her cell that motorists always turned right onto the N1 Highway off Gordon Road.
“We were pulled over and told to follow the metro police to the Florida Police Station where we were locked up. I don’t believe that what I did is a criminal offence, and if we are found guilty, we’ll have criminal records and I’ll be fired from my work,” she said.
At 3pm yesterday some of the other “offenders” were released on R800 bail.
Supt Rautenbach said should anybody be unable to pay bail, they would be kept in jail overnight.
A leading Pretoria criminal lawyer, Oeloff de Meyer, said for disobeying an arrow painted on a road a ticket should be issued, and the motorist should pay a fine or appear in court. “It is totally unnecessary to arrest and lock up motorists for such an offence.”
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