The Western Cape’s top cop has vowed to fight back after a spate of killings and attacks on police officers in the province over the past seven days.
|||Cape Town - The Western Cape’s top cop has vowed to fight back after a spate of killings and attacks on police officers in the province over the past seven days.
Just hours after another officer was shot and wounded in the early on Sunday, Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula told the Cape Argus in an exclusive interview that police weren’t prepared to retreat.
Jula said one of the four attacks made him feel “very emotional” because the slain officer left behind a one-month-old baby.
In the past seven days:
* A 42-year-old warrant officer, stationed in Milnerton, was shot and wounded in the neck early on Sunday morning as he responded to a business robbery in progress in Joe Slovo. A suspect, in his 20s, was arrested in connection with the shooting.
* On Monday last week, 39-year-old Constable Lindekile Sikade was shot pointblank in his driveway in Philippi East as he left for work in Grassy Park.
* On Thursday evening, a constable from KTC was shot in the face and seriously injured while sitting in his official police vehicle with a friend. He is still recovering.
* On Friday, a 32-year-old off duty police officer was travelling in Delft and shot dead by the driver of a red vehicle who was blocking his way in Thubelisha, Delft. No arrests have been made.
“We once more express our sincerest condolences to the families of the members who have been the victims of these attacks. We are very concerned, as the management of the police in the Western Cape, and we have noted this spate of attacks on our members and officials in this province,” Jula said.
“The (Sikade) incident makes me feel emotional because he had a one-month-old baby that was still being breast-fed and two other children who are younger than five.”
Jula said police management has reinforced its safety plan, which includes reminding officers to be vigilant of areas that held potential risks.
The plan also requires officers to be kept abreast of attacks as soon as they came on duty and requires them to wear bulletproof vests and other gear that would assist in preventing fatalities when coming under attack.
“Attacks against the police are attacks on the state itself.,” said Jula. “The police are not prepared to retreat. We have assembled teams who are going to work around the clock until the perpetrators of these attacks against our members are arrested.
“We have an obligation in this province, and to the entire country as the South African Police Service, a constitutional mandate, to ensure we prevent, combat and investigate crime among.
“There are elements in the community who stone and attack our members who are there to protect them. We cannot continue in a situation where we are attacked by some elements in the community when we are actually trying to take out the criminals from the same community so that they face the might of the law.”
Jula had this message for police officers on Sunday: “They must not be discouraged and they have our support as the management of the Western Cape and nationally.
“They need to focus on their work just as long as we ensure we are always operationally ready and we are aware of what is happening around us. But we need to take this fight to the criminals.”
Chairman of Parliament’s police portfolio committee, Francois Beukman, and Community Safety MEC Dan Plato condemned attacks on police officers.
Beukman said police killings were described as “priority crimes that must be investigated” at the Police budget vote in Parliament last Thursday. “The portfolio expressed concern about the continuation about the attacks. It’s totally unacceptable.
“Police officers must be properly trained when deployed and in high risk areas,” said Beukman. “Officers must be briefed and specialised units must be made available.”
He said officers should be protected in their private capacity and while on duty.
Plato condemned the latest attack on an officer in Delft on Sunday as “yet another act of crime perpetrated against our police officers”.
“Any attack on our brothers and sisters in blue should be treated swiftly and with the appropriate action. In these cases, the perpetrators must be arrested swiftly and appear in the court and be shown the full might of the law,” he said.
“Police officers are the only people who stand between the criminals and the ordinary people in society. These matters should be taken seriously as it could lead to a lawless society.”
Cape Argus