Durban policeman Dean van Zyl, who was recently arrested in a sting operation when he allegedly tried to sell his police radio to a tow-truck driver, is back on duty.

Van Zyl, 26, who at the time was out on bail for the alleged theft of petrol and alleged armed robbery, was rearrested when he allegedly tried to sell his police radio in Pinetown for R2 000 this month.

A policeman, who would not be named, told the Sunday Tribune that Van Zyl was on active duty.

“He is at work in uniform. How can a police officer who has been charged with so many crimes be allowed to come back to work? What message are we sending to the public by allowing this? We can’t even police our own,” he said.

Another officer, who also requested anonymity, confirmed that Van Zyl was on duty after his third arrest in three weeks. “I was at the station when he was arrested for allegedly stealing petrol,” he said. “It is disgusting to see a policeman in the cells, we are meant to uphold the law.”

Police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane provided a scant explanation as to why Van Zyl had not been removed from duty.

“Suspension of a serving member of the SAPS entails strict adherence to procedure and relevant legislation by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner. This is a normal process and the members of the public are assured that the Provincial Commissioner will take an appropriate decision regarding suspension of the member,” he said.

“The member is entitled to the use of police equipment including the state-issue firearm during the performance of his official police duties,” Zwane added.

Repeated attempts to contact Van Zyl proved unsuccessful.

The DA’s police spokeswoman Dianne Kohler-Barnard said that it was unconscionable for police management to allow a member facing criminal charges to stay on active duty.

“The reality is that criminality isn’t taken seriously… Imagine a traumatised member of the public could be giving a statement in their home to a cop who has committed a crime but who the SAPS refuses to suspend. The SAPS is still treating the IPID (Independent Police Investigative Directorate) with the same contempt it treated the Independent Complaints Directorate, despite the fact that we strengthened the law considerably,” she added.

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