COPS LET OFF THE HOOK

Patekile fesses up to reinstating 17 officers after serious offences

- BY KIM SWARTZ

WESTERN Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile has let 17 cops off the hook.

The findings were revealed in Parliament last week, throwing a harsh light on the region's top cop after he overturned dismissal rulings for officers nailed for serious misconduct.

The 17 include a sergeant convicted in a criminal court and kept in the service with only a one-month suspension; a captain who assaulted a female and a club owner, whose dismissal was reduced to a written warning.

In addition, multiple officers who illegally distributed police exhibits had their dismissals replaced with final written warnings.

Fired