Paul Kirk
An entire shift from the Durban North police station faces possible dismissal from the South African Police Service (SAPS) as disciplinary hearings begin on charges that they aided some of the country’s top drug dealers.
The exact number of policemen facing charges is unknown but the station commissioner, Superintendent Beenash Jaipal, is among those who will be charged. If found guilty he will be dishonourably discharged from the SAPS. Jaipal is presently on stress leave and the Mail & Guardian has been informed by impeccable sources that he intends resigning before his disciplinary hearing begins. This will allow him to keep his pension.
The charges stem from an expos by this reporter that the station’s policemen had turned the cells into a virtual holiday camp for a drug syndicate .
When inspector Vikus Kriel and Sergeant Theo Hollamby – two of the few honest members of Durban’s organised crime unit – rounded up Durban’s top drug syndicate they had good reason to oppose bail.
The leaders of the syndicate, Bruce Bekker and Jeff Meyer, were implicated in a contract killing and witnesses had told police that the syndicate would intimidate witnesses.
While the legal battle raged as to whether they would get bail, they were kept at Durban North police station. This is against standing police orders that awaiting trial prisoners are to be kept at Westville prison. But the overcrowded prison was not deemed comfortable enough for the syndicate.
The Durban North Community Police Forum was up in arms after reading about the splendid condition the drug lords were being housed in.
Police vehicles kept them supplied with food and drink. They were allowed to bring their own beds into the cells. A hi-fi, video machine and big screen television were also brought in. Telephones were supplied and the criminals made themselves so welcome that police have statements saying that they stood behind the charge office counter and helped take statements from the public.
Police vehicles were used to run errands for the syndicate and liquor flowed. They also held parties and braais to which they invited friends as well as the acting station commissioner, Jaipal.
During one of these parties another awaiting trial prisoner escaped. Police at the station gave affidavits that he escaped through a toilet door. The prisoner has told police he walked out the charge office door and into a car.
The community police forum complained to the office of the provincial commissioner. “To date, a year later, we have not heard a thing officially,” said its chair, Ken Parsons.
“We were horrified when we heard the story. Durban North has a problem with drug abuse and this is not the sort of message we wanted to send to drug dealers.” Parsons was particularly irate at the way some of the most dangerous thugs were fted compared to smaller offenders.
One man, arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, was locked in a cell with his terrier dog. Police refused to allow him to call a friend to take the dog away. They also refused to allow the dog out of the cell with the result the animal had to defecate where the suspect was held.
“The disciplinary hearings are overdue. But they are still welcome. Our forum has received many reports that Durban North policemen are involved with drugs,” Parsons said.