SAfrican police officer arrested for hiring out weapons

The errant constable, who was defiant even when arrested, had believe it or not, made a rate list of police equipments he hired out to robbers. While his hiring rate for bullet-proof vests and uniforms was 55 euros, the 9 mm pistols fetched him ten times more upto 530 euros.

The price for radio equipped cars zoomed up to 2,200 euros apparently as they could provide VIP trappings for a robbery, 'The Star' newspaper reported. The paper called the arrest of the gun-hiring constable as only "tip of the iceberg", quoting that police sources were saying that "it went up the ladder".

The  23-year-old railway police unit member was arrested at his post at Park Station here, while he was on duty. "He was defiant. He knew we were coming. He didn't say anything to us. He just stared at us when we told him that he was under arrest and when we handcuffed him," said a cop investigating the matter.

Last month, a former police chief Jack Selebi, who had also served as chief of interpol, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for what the judge called highest level corruption conviction in South Africa.