A family self-isolating following a positive Covid-19 test in Nellmapius is furious after being dragged to the police station to verify their car.
Angelique Campher and her partner, Mogomotsi Rakololo, said they were surprised by police who came to their home on Tuesday afternoon, demanding to check their White Kia Picanto, which was parked outside.
Campher, the owner of the vehicle, said they were informed by the police officers that they were taking her car to the pound to verify its ownership as a similar car had been involved in the commission of a crime in Silverton.
Campher said despite telling the officials that the car was hers and she was reluctant to leave her home as she had tested positive for Covid-19 last Saturday, the police had insisted on taking her and her boyfriend to the Silverton Police Station.
“I didn’t even have enough time to put on shoes. They were insisting on taking the car, stating that they would return it to me on Friday, which I refused. At one point, one of the officers insisted that my partner take off his mask in order for them to check if he was one of the assailants, which we found rather disturbing. To make matters worse, they took us to the back of the station and didn’t use sanitisers or any other precautions for their or our safety.”
After waiting for hours, Campher said the police eventually released them, but insisted that they take their car to Waltloo vehicle testing centre.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Isaac Mculu said the information at their disposal was that the couple had been stopped on the road by officers instructed to be on the lookout for a car similar to theirs.
Mculu said as officers noticed that the license plates were not screwed on correctly, they then requested the vehicle be taken to the police station for verification as they suspected the criminals could have been trying to mask their getaway vehicle.
He said the officers informed the couple of this, but they allegedly became aggressive towards the police.
On being informed about the couple testing positive for Covid-19, and the disregard for the regulations, Mculu said in some cases, officers could have mistaken the information as a diversion, as they were met with hostility.
Virginia Keppler, interim spokesperson for the Patriotic Alliance in Tshwane, said the actions of the two police officers who went to Campher’s home and “literally dragged her out of her sickbed” to the police station was very irresponsible and dangerous.
Keppler said the officers had no regard for her health or the likelihood of her spreading the disease, despite being told numerous times that she had tested positive for the virus.
“For the police to say they did not believe her is evidence of how they continually treat law-abiding citizens with utter disrespect.”
She said, in fact, police had two stories that were unsubstantiated. The first being that the car was stolen and then that it was in an armed robbery.
“We hope that the Silverton station commander disinfected the police station to prevent infections. And yes, they owe Mrs Campher and her family an apology and should do proper investigations before traumatising citizens. They should be ashamed of themselves for holding them for hours at the police station with their 1-year-old daughter.”
Pretoria News