[allAfrica.com] [http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0921/p07s01-woaf.html?s=swAfrica] Residents Slam 'Cop Brutality' in Swoop Business Day (Johannesburg) NEWS October 11, 2004 Posted to the web October 11, 2004 By Max Matavire and Tabelo Timse Johannesburg Outraged Port Elizabeth residents claimed they were beaten up, robbed of cash and strip-searched for drugs by police during a crime prevention blitz in Central at the weekend. The allegations of police brutality followed a swoop on nightclubs across the suburb on Friday and early Saturday. Some club patrons said police officers had sprayed tear gas at revellers and taken money from them, and one man was allegedly attacked by a police dog. The raid - Operation Thorn - was the second launched by police in a bid to rid the area of crime. Last month's Operation Bite was unpopular with locals because of alleged aggressive behaviour and manhandling by police. Beachfront trader Yusuf Khan, a Tanzanian, said he had been walking in Western Road about midnight on Saturday when he was approached by four policemen. "When they discovered I was a foreigner, one said foreigners must go back to their countries as they were causing problems here. They searched my pockets, took out the only R50 I had in my wallet, threw (the wallet) on the tar and walked away. "When I asked for my money, one came back, grabbed me by the neck and pushed me," said Khan, who sells wood carvings and artifacts in Port Elizabeth and along the Garden Route. A Ugandan man, a Central resident, said five policemen had surrounded him at Destiny Jazz Club in Trinder Square and taken about R1,000 from his wallet. The man claimed the police had asked him for an identity book, grabbed his wallet and emptied it, then sprayed tear gas in his eyes after he tried to take it back. About 50 policeman had raided the club on Saturday night, patrons said. They claimed some civilians had been slapped in the face for questioning the police. During a raid on Kwaito House in Parliament Street, witnesses said a man had suffered leg injuries when a police dog allegedly mauled him. Angry resident Mandla Qupe said the raid reminded him of apartheid. "They are behaving just like Hitler's gestapo. They are instilling fear in communities. This is not the way modern policing should be." Two young women were also among those who complained of police ill-treatment. Nontobeko Makhaya and Meicy Dziwonu claimed they had been slapped by female police officers in Destiny Jazz Club late on Friday. Dziwonu, 29, said she had been sitting in the club with her friends when the police walked in. "I just commented, 'Here come the cops', and that was my mistake. Two policewomen slapped me in the face." Makhaya, 20, said she had been slapped because police thought she was too young to be in a club. Club manager Mike Anderson said the raid had taken place about 2am and he claimed the police had not been in possession of a search warrant. "The police burst into the club and started searching our customers, who were already at the door, leaving." Anderson said he had asked for a search warrant and was then assaulted. "They were even beating up women and arrested one for refusing to be searched by a male officer," he said. Police spokesman Tembi Gwe said people were urged to report incidents of this nature so that police could investigate. Central councillor Terry Herbst - who is championing the clean-up of the area - said he was very concerned about the behaviour of "those rotten apples". "I do not think the average policeman would do that. Any policeman found guilty of such behaviour must be thrown out," said Herbst.   =============================================================================  Copyright © 2004 Business Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================