Dear Trevor I am sure the police will come with an explanation. As far as I know (but I am not an expert) the police is entitled to do random searches. If you had nothing to hide, it would have been over in two seconds and everybody would have been able to be on their way. You have now turned the situation in an unpleasant experience.
I have had comments from residents in our area who have experienced the same thing, but were satisfied to see that the police was doing their job. I would not mind if they would stop and search me. Just because you happen to be a law-abiding citizen has nothing to do with the price of the eggs. The police cannot always know that, can they? The Obs community must start making up its mind about what it wants. On the one hand they shout very loudly (and sometimes abusively, I might add) that the police is not doing anything and when they do something it is also not good. Best regards Teun Baartman On 19 March 2010 03:30, Trevor Hughes <[email protected]> wrote: > I have just been subjected to police harassment. > > Time was just before three am > > I had just left Tagores (with 2 friends) and was proceeding up Trill > Road to Lower Main Road when a Police minivan arrived on the scene > with a number of police officers who informed me they wished to search > me. I politely (keeping my cool at all times) refused and quoted the > constitution that protects against arbitrary searches. I was harassed > by at least three officers (seemingly very junior) and threatened with > a visit to the police station should I fail to com;ly. I asked why > they wished to search me to which I was told I was s suspicious > person. > > In the mean time my two friends were submitted to the same treatment > and seemingly were searched in a very unthorough and basically > unprofessional and useless manner. > > I was repeatedly told I would be searched at the police station if I > did not cooperate and was never told why they wished to search me > (other than being suspicious) . I was also told repeatedly that I was > wasting their time. I approached the driver of the minivan and asked > why they wanted to search me and he replied "Did you not hear what the > officers said" I replied that they had no reason to reasonably search > me and that it was my right guaranteed by the constitution not to be > arbitrarily searched. I was repeatedly threatened with a search at the > police station and accused of wasting their time. > > Now while they were a bunch of stupid fools they obviously were not > THAT stupid becasue after refusing to be searched for the umpteenth > time and asking if I was to be arrested they all piled into their > vehicle and drove off. Perfect;ly justifying my position. > > I did not even get a chance to take names or registration number of > the vehicle as they gave up on their silly quest long before I could > even ask. > > You can rest assured that I will be taking this matter up to the > highest authority - starting with Superintendent Van der Riel who I > will call personally tomorrow, > > Protecting you and I from the impending Police State. (in same cases de > facto) > > Trevor Hughes > -- Teun Baartman 083 298 1009 021 448 3584 Please consider the environment before you print this e-mail!! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en To unsubscribe from this group, send email to obsnw+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.
