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| NEWS > 30 January 2008 |
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Wife of Lorain ex-policeman ha
Lorain -- The wife of a former Lorain police patrolman convicted of stalking another woman took out a billboard ad urging people to report abuses by police.
Marsha Sanchez said she has heard numerous stories of officers harassing people and using excessive force. Reporting the abuses to the Police Department is useless, she said. The ad, at Leavitt Road and East 21st Street, directs people to report incidents to the U.S. Department of Justice and lists the telephone number.
Sanchez's husband, Jesus, was convicted in December of menacing by stalking. His victim was a woman h... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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People's Post - Fish Hoek,Sout
30 January 2008
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Residents march against corrup
KENSINGTON residents want nothing more than to see an end to alleged corruption at their police station.
This was the strong sentiment from residents in an organised protest in the streets of Kensington and Factreton on Friday, 25 January.
A passionate and boisterous crowd of about 100 residents supported the campaign to see an end to corruption amongst the police officials who are supposed to serve them.
To this end, they believe Senior Superintendent Shawn van Wyk, Kensington police commissioner, should step down from his position.
Van Wyk was deployed at the station only 14 months ago with a directive to eradicate corruption from Kensington?s ranks.
Following last week's arrest of Americans gang leader Igshaan Davids (Sanie American) for possession of a stolen vehicle, Mail & Guardian stated (Was Scorpions sleuth set up?, 24 January) two Kensington police officers were pin-pointed for corruption.
A National Intelligence Agency (NIA) report Mail & Guardian apparently has in its possession claims two unnamed officers transported drugs for a rival gangster and solicited money from Davids in exchange for information.
Marching through the streets, brandishing placards calling for an end to "gangster cop" residents, former Kensington Community Police Forum (CPF) secretary, Vincent Alex, handed over a memorandum to Van Wyk for Mzwandile Petros, provincial police commissioner, to consider within seven days.
The memorandum calls for an end to police intimidation of residents when carrying out police work.
It also asks for a list of about 20 Kensington police officers accused of corrupt activities through the testament of residents to be taken to task and for the investigation of instances where residents' possessions were seized and not yet returned after their cases were thrown out in court.
It also asks for the provincial commissioner to implement a rotating system where police officers can be rotated on a quarterly basis from station to station to prevent familiarity with certain criminal groups within communities. They also want the establishment of a commission of enquiry to address residents' complaints.
While residents congregated outside the police station, they shouted slogans such as "Van Wyk must go" and "Police are the real gangsters".
Abraham Dirks (56), a Kensington resident, was one of those who aired his views over a loud-hailer during the procession.
Dirks, who says he has a licence to sell liquor on his premises, maintains he received a hefty fine when police visited his premises ? allegedly without a search warrant.
"I have a permit; I may sell liquor from my house. The only thing I still need to do is renovate my place according to the stipulations of the licence," he says.
He claims police confiscated his stock and his bakkie, which was standing on the property at the time of the raid.
"They still haven't returned my bakkie; it's standing there at the police station. That is not right ? they can't take my private property. How else must we make a living?" he asks, visibly upset.
In another complaint, resident Daniel Jacobs (52) says he was told to pay R1 000 ? a fine issued by means of an admission of guilt certificate by police officers.
He shrugs and says he is still unsure why he was asked to pay the money in the first place, and wonders where the money has gone to.
Kensington police could not verify the validity of either resident's complaints at the time of going to print.
Following the demonstration, Van Wyk says he is disappointed at the community's response to police work.
"I am disappointed, because we put in so much effort. I think the larger community is happy with our service. We receive letters and personal messages from residents."
He suggests the reason for residents' allegations is a series of raids made at illegal liquor and drug outlets over the festive season.
"Under my command, all this police station's actions are legal. We will issue fines, because we are a law enforcement agency. That is our job. I will pass on the memorandum to the commissioner as they have asked, and their concerns will be discussed."
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