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| NEWS > 23 July 2008 |
Other related articles:
Police and UVF links: who at t
The Police Ombudsman's shocking revelations on collusion between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries have left one key question unanswered.
Who at the top levels of the police and political establishment knew the extent of the murky links between Special Branch and the UVF?
Nuala O'Loan yesterday confirmed that 40 retired officers, including two chief constables, failed to cooperate with her inquiry into collusion between the police and the UVF in the loyalist north Belfast estate of Mount Vernon in the 1990s.
Her report, published yesterday, revealed that paid infor... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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Independent Online - Cape Town
23 July 2008
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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'Faulty' system bugs metro pol
Two metro police officers have been charged and up to 180 more could be disciplined for "acting without honesty and integrity" relating to information received from a "faulty" vehicle tracking system.
The metro police management has denied any knowledge of problems with the C-track system, although one employee who was charged won his case last week.
The Independent Municipal and Allied Workers' Union is aware of the problems because one of its members faced similar charges.
The vehicle tracking and fleet management system was installed in vehicles at a cost of at least R35-million.
At the time of its procurement, the municipality said the satellite-monitored system would lead to a reduction in vehicle abuse and aid in the recovery of stolen and hijacked vehicles.
Metro police officials also believed it would be easy to locate vehicles and send back-up in emergencies.
However, sources say the system has repeatedly malfunctioned and provided incorrect information about the whereabouts of employees and vehicles.
The driver tag, which identifies the driver and has to be used before a vehicle will start, is also said to be faulty, causing cars to stall or not start when needed. It has been described as potentially life threatening.
They say the incorrect information provided by the system is being used to victimise them.
Union spokesperson Dempsey Perumal said that according to a system report, an officer was reported to be in Chartwell in Phoenix, but such a place did not exist.
"The system has not gone through any accreditation process...If they wanted to implement a new system they should have discussed it with unions rather than unilaterally imposing it," said Perumal.
A metro police source said that in an attempt to approve the system for motorcycles it had been tested on two machines at the metro headquarters in central Durban. The system had shown one bike as being in Isipingo and the other as being near Wyebank.
During another test, a vehicle in Pinetown had been shown as leaving Cato Ridge.
"It's also shown cars in the middle of the Indian Ocean when they were in the city centre," said the source.
The Mercury was also told that it was possible to manipulate the system.
Other complaints were that:
At times the information relating to a particular vehicle took up to four hours to register on the system;
Although all vehicles were fitted with the tracker, some did not feature on the satellite system at all; and
Vehicles often stalled without reason.
Two weeks ago about 15 cars had to be attended to "all over the city" after they would not start or just "cut out" because of a problem with C-track.
An insider said every vehicle would have encountered problems with C-track within a span of six months.
The Mercury understands that a metro police dog handler was recently shot at while attending to a matter in a township. His car would not start and, instead of speeding away, he had to take cover in nearby bushes.
"The guys are scared that because of it they are going to be killed," said one source.
They say they are often presented with "proof" that they were not where they were supposed to be, but only a year after the alleged trip.
"The guys are just pleading guilty because they can't remember where they were on a particular day and time," one source said.
Metro police spokesperson Thozamile Tyala said: "We believe C-track is working perfectly. We don't believe there is any dysfunction."
He said the metro service benefited from the system because it helped control the movement of employees and was proof of service should there be an inquiry.
He was unaware that anyone was being victimised or charged because of incorrect information. He said the metro police adhered to the Labour Relations Act and there were several avenues available to aggrieved officers.
However, Durban Metropolitan Police Members' Forum head Wiseman Mchunu said the metro police management was "obviously" aware of the problems with the system.
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