Nothing wrong with recording cops – Police
Motorists and the public are allowed to record law enforcement officers by means of video and sound recording devices when they are stopped, police have said.
This after the emergence of numerous videos showing exchanges between members of the public and police officers in recent months.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said there was nothing legally preventing members of the public or the police from recording conversations.
“But [the recording of such conversations] may not be used as evidence unless the other party was notified of such recordings,” he added.
Benoni police acting cluster commander, Brigadier Poobalan Subbiah, said recording exchanges with police was integral in ensuring police officers do not go astray and will, hopefully, reduce cases of officers requesting bribes.
In a recent incident captured on cellphone footage, a metro police officer can be seen and heardrefusing to be recorded.
Click here to watch the video.
Click here to watch the video.
In the video, a woman can be heard alleging the officer and some of his colleagues are drunk. However, Metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar denied these allegations, saying after investigating the matter, the JMPD officers that were on the scene were found not to be drunk.
Early this year, a KwaZulu-Natal police officer who appeared to be drunk sped off after he refused to be recorded.
Click here to watch the video.
While some police officers shy away from cameras, others have no problem of being recorded such as the now-infamous JMPD officer who stopped Bloubosrand resident, Clive Naidoo last month.
“You think I’m scared of videos, I Iike videos. He must record me. That’s why I’m taking my time, so the media must see how I’m proud of my job,” the officer said in the video which went viral.
Click here to watch the video.
Subbiah said people should not fear that there will be a reprisal from somebody. He said police may not ask you to delete the footage or sound recording. He also urged people to record criminal incidents, if they are able to. People who offer bribes to police officers may be arrested and will be charged with bribery.
– Caxton News Service
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