Ekurhuleni district police commissioner condemns Brackendowns incident

Ekurhuleni SAPS acting district commissioner Brig David Ngcobo has condemned the conduct of police officers captured on a video allegedly refusing to assist a member of the public at Brackendowns police station in Alberton.

The video circulating on social media shows a man asking officers to certify documents and assist him with completing an affidavit after losing his identity document.

In the footage, the man presents his original driver’s licence, a copy for certification, and a copy of his ID. An officer is seen with his arms folded while the man repeatedly asks for assistance.

A voice in the background is heard saying: “You will speak alone.”

Towards the end of the video, an officer says he has explained everything to the man but that he did not want to listen.

Several officers are visible in the footage, but none is seen assisting the man.

Ngcobo said the conduct did not meet the standards expected of SAPS members.

“Members of SAPS are expected to serve the public with professionalism, courtesy and respect as required by the code of conduct. We condemn the conduct depicted in the video.”

Ngcobo confirmed that the officers shown in the video had been identified.

“The matter is being addressed internally, and the members concerned will be subject to appropriate disciplinary processes.”

It is unclear what happened before the video was recorded, and the footage does not provide the full context of the interaction.

SAPS urged members of the public who experience service delivery complaints involving police officers to report it through its complaints channels.

Complaints can be lodged with the SAPS national complaints service centre on 0800-333177 or the Gauteng service complaints standby line on 082-442-2000.