Garden Route officer probed over video filmed inside Pacaltsdorp police station
A senior officer from the Garden Route District has been appointed to investigate remarks a police official is depicted making at the community service centre counter in George.
Western Cape police have opened an internal investigation into a police official depicted in a video filmed inside the community service centre at Pacaltsdorp police station in George, on the Garden Route.
The service said in a post on X on Wednesday that it had noted with serious concern the video circulating on social media, which it described as showing a police official making unbecoming remarks at the counter.
A senior police official attached to the Garden Route District has been appointed to conduct the investigation, the service said. It did not name the official appointed, the member or members under investigation, or say how many people are involved.
The community service centre is the counter where members of the public report crimes, lay complaints and ask for help. The service said management views the remarks in a very serious light.
SAPS said it holds a zero-tolerance stance towards unprofessional and unbecoming conduct by its members and gave an assurance that appropriate consequence management will follow should wrongdoing be established.
That assurance is a commitment about a process still under way. The service has not said what the video shows beyond the description it gave, has not confirmed when or on what date it was filmed, and has not said whether the member or members concerned remain on duty at the station while the investigation runs.
Pacaltsdorp sits within the George municipal area, and the station serves residents of the surrounding community. What happens at that counter is the point at which residents meet the state on the worst days of their lives, when a case has to be opened or a complaint laid.
The service has asked the public to treat the matter as one under investigation and has not released further detail. The Enquirer will follow the outcome of the internal process, including any finding on the conduct depicted and any consequence management the service announces.
