• Cape Town's Metal Theft Unit officers are arrested after a Hawks and city safety probe into extorting foreign-owned spaza shops.

• The city says both officers will be suspended while its internal case continues, with the Safety Directorate calling corruption a serious problem.

Two Cape Town law enforcement officers have been arrested after spaza shop owners said the pair forced them to pay money earlier this year.

The officers work in the Metal Theft Unit. They were taken in after the Safety and Security Information Management Service worked with the Hawks to investigate the claims.

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Wayne Dyason from the city's law enforcement says the case goes back to January. He says warrants were issued after the officers were linked to demands for cash from the spaza shop owners. "We will not hesitate to investigate and take the required action when wrongdoing is uncovered," he says.

Dyason says the officers will be suspended while the city runs its disciplinary process.

The Safety and Security Directorate says it wants corrupt officers out of its ranks.

Cape Town resident Bongani Tyemthini is not surprised by the arrests. He says some officers act like criminals while wearing the uniform. "Officers are the most corrupt people. They do it knowing they won't get caught," he says.

"They are criminals hiding behind their badges. I'm sure they are not the only ones extorting shop owners."

Bongani says he hopes the officers remain behind bars and get strong sentences.

"Officers who break the law should get heavy sentences. Others will think twice before doing the same," he says.

Another Cape Town resident, who does not want his name used, says some officers behave just like the South African Police Service. "They are competing with each other. These people do not deserve bail. They are supposed to protect the same people they are stealing from," he says.