Embarrassing blow for Swakopmund community policing
Two Walvis Bay residents who were severely assaulted and then arrested by community policing members in Swakopmund on 31 July this year, when they took a cell phone video of these members abusing their powers, were told yesterday the case against them is so defective it was summarily nullified by the magistrate.
One of these community policing members now sitting with egg on the face is Hendrik Burger, the owner of Emergency Security Services. Burger, in the early hours of Sunday 30 July this year arrived with other community policing members at the Vintage Night Club. They suspected alcohol was served illegally.
Without warning, pepper spray was sprayed in the club, prompting patrons who were still in the club to run outside in order to regain their breath. Also running out were these two Walvis Bay residents.
An argument ensued outside during which Burger was witnessed threatening to beat up some of the patrons. He also used crude language.
The two Walvis Bay residents made a cell phone video of Burger and some of the other community policing members’ threatening people and showing abusive behaviour.
When they realised they were filmed the two were attacked and the cell phone was taken away.
One of them sustained a serious eye injury and the other was handcuffed with his hands behind his back. Whilst handcuffed in this position, Hendrik Burger in the presence of several eyewitnesses hit him with the fist against his head.
Thereafter, the two were taken to the Mondesa police station where they were allegedly threatened by Burger and the other members that they will be locked up and raped by inmates in the cells if they did not provide the pin-code of the cell phone. Fearing for what could happen they provided the pin and the video was erased.
Thanks to an information technology expert the video was recovered the next day.
Presumably to cover their tracks and to discredit their victims, Burger and the other members pressed charges against the two alleging they were under the influence of alcohol and behaved violently. These charges were found defective and the case was thrown out.
At the time of going to press yesterday civil legal action against Burger and the other policing members who were present at the night club were on the cards. This includes civil legal action against the Minister of Safety and Security and the Inspector-General of the Namibian Police for unlawful arrest.
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