20 RECRUITS THRASH COP FOR STEALING THEIR STUFF

MBABANE – A police constable was a victim of mob justice on Wednesday when he was assaulted by close to 20 recruits at the Matsapha Police College.

The police officer was allegedly caught stealing the recruits’ items at the residential blocks at the college.
The officer is said to have frequented the facility and that coincided with an increase in the number of theft incidents within the college.
The officer was spotted by recruits near the residential blocks and immediately raised suspicions among a few recruits who were outside because most of their colleagues were writing examinations on the day.

He was approached and questioned, however, he was defensive and arrogant, sources said.
It is then that tempers flared and the recruits put it to him that he could be the person behind the break-ins and theft incidents at the police college.
The altercation drew other police recruits who are allegedly to have also verbally abused the constable.

It was when he claimed his innocence that he was assaulted with open hands, fists and kicked by the close to 20 police recruits.
Senior officers took him to safety where he was allegedly interrogated and subsequently confessed that he had been stealing from the aspiring police officers.

“A general patrol officer based at the Mbabane police station was caught stealing at the police college. He is part of those who passed out in 2011. 
He was beaten by a mob of close to 20 recruits after they found him stealing their items.
They claim that their items had been disappearing mysteriously in their residences for quite some time,” said a source.
“He confessed, stealing a number of items which include, among other things, cellular phones, money, clothes and some jewellery,” said the source.

interrogation

During the interrogation, it is said the senior police asked one of the junior officers at the police college to spill water on the ground. They are said to have then ordered the suspect officer to step over the ground where water had just been spilt.
“They told one of the junior officers to spill water on the ground so that he could step on the ground and verify the markings of his shoes with the ones found at the dormitories. They matched,” further revealed the source.

It is unclear whether the police constable was taken to the nearest police station which is Sigodvweni or he was freed, but the case is now being handled by the Sigodvweni Police station.
It is not the first time that a trespasser has been arrested at the police college.

Recently, two men were arrested after they were found at a soccer field inside the college ‘stealing’ topsoil.
They appeared at the Manzini magistrate court. They later claimed to have been sent by administrators of a soccer team.

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