African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Kenneth Meshoe has expressed support for imposing stricter penalties on police officers who lose their firearms.
Meshoe addresses the issue during the presentation of the 2023/2024 annual report and financial statement by the Police Department to Parliament’s Police Committee.
Meshoe highlights concerns about police officers’ carelessness with firearms, referencing a video that showed an officer under the influence of alcohol.
“I think there should be penalties that all police are aware of,” Meshoe says.
He points out that some officers do not take the loss of firearms seriously, citing an example of a drunk policeman falling with his firearm still in his possession.
“To prove that some police don’t take the loss of firearms seriously, there have been videos circulating, showing policemen ducking with firearms. Actually, I saw one video where a drunk policeman with a firearm on his side, fell down, and people in the community, members of the community were assisting this policeman to stand on his feet…” Meshoe explains.
“If they were criminals, they would have taken that firearm easily without him even being aware that he was being stripped of it,” he adds, emphasising the need for accountability and better discipline among officers.
Management of the Police’s Central Firearm Registry
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