CRIME | POLICE

Many Police officers are under investigation over allegedly extorting money from suspects whose cars were impounded from different parts of the country, New Vision has learnt.

It emerged recently that Police officers at various stations across the country were holding car owners at ransom, prompting the force's top echelon to order a probe after several complaints were raised by the car owners.

The Police detectives allegedly impound cars when probing cases and later resort to extortion when the cases are dismissed by court or settled.

"The car owners are asked to pay high fees to reclaim their vehicles. Owners have shied away and this has led to mushrooming of junkyards at various Police stations across the country," a senior Police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

A Police document seen by New Vision indicates that some of the cars were impounded in cases linked to robbery.

In this case — a car could have been stolen and used in a robbery, and later abandoned after accomplishing the mission. Others are impounded in cases linked to money laundering, embezzlement, kidnap, theft and terrorism cases.

In the latest puzzle of injustices orchestrated by the Police detectives, New Vision has obtained a list of over 100 cars parked at Police's Criminal Investigations Directorate park yard.

The cars were impounded between 2005 and 2019. Police carried out a verification exercise to identify the cars.

At the park yard, some of the cars have no record of trace, while other complaints were withdrawn by the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the owners have allegedly failed to reclaim them, due to reported extortion.

Caution

In other cases, suspects deliberately abandoned the cars at Police after securing bond or court bail and vanished, in a bid to avoid trace and elude justice.

Security experts have called for caution when impounding cars of suspects, branding it ‘irregular.' They also revealed that not every investigative officer has a right to impound a car.

Who keeps the car and who has the right to dispose it? Under section 37(1) of the Anti Corruption Act, a warrant may direct, empower a Police officer, inspectorate officer (IP) or special investigator powers to search, seize and detain a document.

Power to seize is, however, vested in the hands of a Police officer, not below the rank of IP or assistant superintendent of Police.

Guidelines

Police has issued a document to guide Police officers on what to do before items are impounded:

Proper exhibit facilities should be put in place to curb the issue of items being vandalised.

Duration of items kept in custody should be controlled, some stay for too long and they depreciate.

Items should not be impounded before proper clearance from higher authorities, like heads of departments.

Inspection at the stations should be carried out to check on the impounded vehicles and reasons, respectively, by authorised officers and in the event of release, the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions should be contacted for legal advice.

Officers who impound cars without proper investigations should be held responsible.

Below is a list of the impounded cars.

Leni Shida off the mark in 800m

It will probably require a career-best performance

Leni Shida off the mark in 800m

By NewVision Reporter

Journalists @NewVision