Cape Town - A police officer charged with negligence and dismissed following an investigation into the disappearance of 15 firearms and eight imitation guns at the Mitchells Plain police station has claimed innocence.
The officer, who has more than 10 years’ service, spoke anonymously with the after five officers who are part of the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit were fired last month.
The officers were suspended this year after an internal investigation.
The investigation centred on the fact that a police officer had taken 15 firearms and eight imitation guns to the Forensic Science Laboratory Plattekloof for analysis, but the firearms had not been booked in at the facility and a receipt from the office was not returned to the station.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut confirmed the officer’s dismissal.
The officer said she was unaware of the criminal’s plans on the day of the incident and had been following the usual schedule and had merely used the authorisation card on the said day.
“My family does not know of my dismissal. My hair began falling out, I am so traumatised. We are busy with arbitration to get us back into the police,” she said.
“The last thing I will do is steal firearms, I would never steal from the state, I never have, I love my job, I would even do it for free.
“Our version didn’t even make a difference in this investigation.
“The one who stole firearms, why didn’t they deal with him alone?
“The only thing I did was sign out someone’s firearm who was with me as he didn’t have his appointment certificate with him, I did not know he was going to give his firearm to the one who stole it.
“He did not tell me what he was doing. We were at the lab (ballistic lab/forensic lab) together. I took my exhibits away and he also had to take his exhibits away.
“He also worked based on the instructions. That is why he gave it to this one guy as it was his week to take the firearms, but now I am also fired.
“I don’t work much with firearms but was fired because I used my appointment certificate. The only reason why I used my card was because he was with me and so it was fine for him to drive with me to the lab and give it in, but he never did that.”
The officer said she always followed protocol in all aspects of the work “and would never jeopardise cases or her integrity as a police officer”.
“I do not even abuse the state vehicle. If I want to work weekends, they give me a car, I take a car with a tracker on it, and if I say these are my addresses, and these are the case numbers, that is all I do. I only go to visit the complainants. I only do that. After that I will come and park the vehicle in my yard until I go back to work. Why would I want to have any part in this?” she said.
“But I was charged with negligence, for defeating the ends of justice.
“According to their standard orders, we were supposed to get a confirmation letter from the colonel to say I will be booking out my exhibit. We never used every letter before, but that came up and that is why I was charged.
“Our case has been registered for arbitration.”
Meanwhile, Detective Constable Lubabalo Malongwe has been making court appearances for charges relating to the disappearance of the guns.
Phaladi Shuping, spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, said they could not comment on the matter: “Kindly be informed that suspension of SAPS members is an internal process”.
Richard Mamabolo of the Police and Prison Civil Rights Union previously called for a thorough investigation, but did not respond to queries about the dismissal or arbitration this week.