Police in Angola have threatened the local media after they reported about a senior police officer charged with rape. The 21-year-old woman’s rape occurred on 19 April but the story was made public after Jose Tiaba da Costa, the sub-inspector of Benguela province’s transport police, handed himself 10 days afterwards. The police said the reporting of the alleged crime had damaged their image. A spokesman stated: “This is a common crime and the fact he’s a policeman is not relevant”.