Four Metro cops have been issued with notices of intention to suspend as a probe into claims of cops forcing prostitutes into sex widens.
|||Durban - Four Metro policemen have been issued with notices of intention to suspend as the investigation into allegations of officers forcing prostitutes into sex widens.
It comes as the Metro Police confirmed yesterday that their investigation into an officer who allegedly demanded sex from prostitutes in Durban’s Point Road precinct and then filmed them against their will in lewd sexual positions, was continuing.
At the weekend, the constable at the centre of the scandal, along with three of his colleagues, was served with the notices of intention to suspend.
They were expected to appear before a suspension hearing at the Metro Police headquarters today to argue why they should not be suspended.
The four, all constables attached to the Beachfront satellite station, have been implicated in one of the worst sex scandals to hit the Metro Police department.
A police inquiry has also been launched into the incident.
Metro Police spokesman, Eugene Msomi, said the investigation into the allegations was continuing. “These four individuals have been implicated. They have been served with notices of suspension and will be appearing before a senior disciplinary officer. They would need to provide reasons why they should not be suspended while the investigation is continuing. The material that was forwarded has been forwarded to our colleagues at the SAPS to determine if they would want to pursue criminal charges,” he said.
The footage showing the officer having sex with prostitutes was discovered by his now former girlfriend, after she opened the files on two BlackBerry memory cards.
The footage shows the constable filming himself having sex with at least five different prostitutes, during which he forces them to reveal their private parts to the camera.
Most of the video clips are believed to have been filmed while the officer was working the night shift. Some of the footage is believed to have been shot in his patrol car, while another clip appears to have been shot in the toilets of a Metro Police satellite office, metro police sources said.
The former girlfriend handed the footage over to the Metro Police’s Anti-Corruption Unit about nine weeks ago.
According to senior metro sources, the officers implicated were being placed on suspension as it is feared that they may interfere with witnesses that may testify against them.
Some of those witnesses are the prostitutes in the videos who have since been tracked down and have given statements. “They are obviously very afraid of what will happen. It is in their interests that they (the officers) must be suspended,” the source said.
Daily News
