A police officer counts "fine" for the car he's leaning against after the traffic officer who impounded it demanded 10,000 SSP for its release in April 2019 at Buluk | Credit | Ayuen Panchol/Eye Radio

A minister in Jubek State says police are violating laws in Juba because he says they do not know laws.

Members of the public have been complaining about police brutality, intimidation and harassment.

The state minister of local government, law enforcement agencies and parliamentary affairs – Alfred Kiri Yokwe – said these crimes are recurring because most police officers cannot read and write.

“You have to bear with me that some of our policemen on roads are illiterate. When you give them the log book they hold it up-side down, it means they don’t read and write,” he said.

“I believe that they are actually committing mistakes on the roads because someone with log-book, they will simply say this log book is old while it is still in time,” he stressed.

The other issue Mr. Kiri said is of a concern is the existence of dual police.

He said having national and state police is contradicting the work of the law enforcers and is creating confusion.

“Within the traffic police we have got national and we have got state police, there is contradiction here on the road.”

Citing hypothetically, he said “some may charge 250 ssp, others may charge 700 ssp” which according to him it “is wrong on the same crime on the same offense.”

He suggested that the country either go for national or solely have states police.