Gauteng Traffic Police warn of bogus cops

The Gauteng Traffic Police urges all motorists to beware of criminals who masquerade as bogus traffic police officers with a motive of kidnapping, robbing, causing harm, and hijacking people who are travelling on the road.

This comes after a recent case of a doctor who was hijacked and robbed of his belongings while driving on the N3 highway recently. The victim was stopped by five men who were driving a white vehicle van with blue lights and three were wearing police uniforms.

“This is one of the trends used by hijackers to mislead motorists into falling victim to kidnappings and hijackings. I call on all motorists to beware of criminals who drive around in vehicles with blue lights illegally installed, with an ulterior motive of hijacking, robbing people, and possibly causing them harm,” said Gauteng Traffic Police spokesperson Sello Maremane.

Maremane reiterated that every traffic officer must have an appointment certificate that identifies who they are and the authority that has appointed them.

“A member of the public has the right to demand to see such a certificate, failure to produce such a certificate must be a red flag for the motorist. Motorists are also allowed to drive off if the certificate is not shown to them. It is also important to note that the National Road Traffic Act dictates that a traffic officer must have a name tag while stopping vehicles. Lastly, the branding of the vehicle can be used to identify the organisation’s identity even if it is not compulsory for officers to use branded vehicles,” said Maremane.

“If motorists feel unsafe while being stopped by officials, they may stop at the nearest police station,” he said.

“The Gauteng Traffic Police will intensify visibility in all hotspot areas. Furthermore, those who are found guilty of committing crimes will be charged and face the full might of the law. We also call on the public to report such criminal activities to the police crime hotline number on 0800 701 701,” added Maremane.