Woman lays charges against metro cop

A JOHANNESBURG woman has laid charges against a metro police officer after a harrowing ordeal during which the cop allegedly told her to step back into a busy road and get run over “so I can watch you die”.

The 35-year-old woman, who asked not be identified for fear of being victimised, said she was pulled over by the female officer on William Nicol Drive in Sandton last Thursday.

She said the officer accused her of talking on her cellphone — which she claims was in her handbag at the time. When she asked the officer to issue her a traffic fine, the officer insisted they should “work something out”.

“When I asked her if she wants a bribe, the officer laughed at me, took my licence and walked away,” the woman said.

She said she phoned police emergency services to report the officer, following an argument during which she demanded the return of her driver’s licence.

“She became aggressive when I asked her why she was taking so long to write my ticket. She said she would take her time and then said: ‘Are you crying yet, white woman?’.”

When the woman tried to reason with the officer’s partner, the female officer said: “Step back into the road. I want a car to hit you so I can watch you die.”

South African Police officers arrived a few minutes later.

“She told them I was driving without a licence, but when she gave my fine to me, my licence was in the folded paper,” the woman said.

The woman also claimed that the metro officer had called her a “white bitch with a bad attitude”.

After her ordeal, the woman opened a case of intimidation at the Douglasdale police station.

Douglasdale police spokesman Inspector Balan Muthan said police were investigating.

Muthan said the police had investigated a number of cases against metro police officers in recent weeks and had arrested two metro officers who allegedly robbed a tourist near Montecasino of foreign currency last month.

He said police would take a “hardened stance” against officers on the wrong side of the law.

“We encourage people to come forward if they are asked to pay bribes to JMPD (Joburg Metro Police Department) or SAPS officers,” Muthan said.

Metro police spokesman Wayne Minnaar said the complainant should also approach his department’s internal affairs unit.

He said: “We want people to come forward if they have a complaint. That’s the only way we can deal with officers who are breaking the law.”