The police are grappling with so many criminals in their own ranks that a specialised unit will soon be launched to deal exclusively with dirty cops. The police admitted yesterday that more than 1440 of its officers had been fired in the past three years for criminal or departmental offences.Two hundred and seventy others are on suspension pending the outcome of investigations - and 85 of them are still on the payroll.Limpopo police Warrant Officer Mathaka Magugumela will appear in the Sekgosese Regional Court on Thurday, charged with involvement in the smuggling of cigarettes.His arrest last week brings to 20 the number of arrests involving the illegal cigarette trade in Limpopo in the past seven months .Magugumela and nine of the 19 officers arrested in December are based in Morebeng. They were arrested for "escorting vehicles carry illegal cigarettes, in exchange for money".Six have since resigned, four were dismissed and the remaining nine will face internal hearings before the end of the month, police management said.The arrests highlight the shockingly high number of criminals in the police service.Police management admitted that complaints about how it handled disciplinary action were eroding public perceptions of the police and raised questions about wasteful expenditure when officers were kept on the payroll pending the outcome of a hearing, said national police spokesman Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo."This new approach to handling disciplinary issues within the police is informed by the desire to manage discipline in a sustainable and consistent way."Recruitment for the unit - "people whose integrity is beyond reproach" - had begun, Naidoo said...