POSTING photos of suspected criminals could land you in hot water. This was the message from Capt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North SAPS following an incident in which a video of a brawl in uMhlanga was shared on social media.
“You are not allowed to publish a picture identifying an alleged suspect in a crime on WhatsApp or on Facebook before this person had appeared before a court of law,” he stressed. “The practice of posting and distributing images or videos of suspects on WhatsApp groups or social media has to stop.
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“Without written permission of the national or provincial police commissioner you cannot publish a photograph or sketch of a person. Any person who publishes a photograph, if found guilty for an offence can be held liable and face conviction of a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months.”
He added, by South African law, a suspect is innocent until proven guilty.
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