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- Police unions have called for an urgent plan to reduce police killings.
- Two police officers were killed on Christmas day.
- Unions have called for a harsher sentence for those convicted of the killings.
Policing unions have called for urgent action to prevent police murders after two officers were found dead on Christmas day.
The South African Policing Union (SAPU) said it was outraged by the two murders and called for the murder of police officers to be declared as treason.
"We call on the state President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare police killings as treason for it is a crime against the state, so that those who are found guilty of police killing crimes face harsher sentences," SAPU said.
"We call on the society at large to take a stance against police killings, as it is known that criminals who are responsible for police killings live amongst us in our communities and are known by our communities."
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In the Western Cape, an officer was found murdered in the early hours of Christmas day. His official vehicle was found parked close to where his body was found in Lwandle, said police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa.
The constable had been stabbed and shot, and his service gun was gone.
Western Cape police arrested four men in connection with the murder of an officer on Christmas day.
The men, aged between 21 and 37, were arrested in Lwandle hours after the murder. The officer’s firearm was recovered during the arrest.
READ | Four suspects arrested in connection with murder of Cape Town cop on Christmas day
According to SAPU, the body of a Gauteng police officer stationed at Naledi Police Station in Soweto was found in Kliptown with several gunshot wounds.
Gauteng police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, confirmed they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder of the off-duty police sergeant.
"A preliminary investigation into the incident indicates that the 41-year-old police officer was attacked, then shot and killed while parked on a bridge in the area. His body was then dumped into a river which is flowing under the bridge."
Mathe said the motive for the attack and murder is still under investigation.
"The police officer's belongings including two cellphones, his vehicle and its key were found on the scene, ruling out robbery as a motive for the attack."
The national police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, has condemned the attack and killing of members both on and off-duty, adding that police are working around the clock to find the perpetrators of the heinous crimes.
SAPU also called on police management to offer support and counselling to the families and colleagues of the victims.
"We call on our law enforcement members to remain resolute and vigilant as they continue to protect our communities during this festive period, and that they are not alone, as SAPU is with them," the union said.
Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said police murders have been a long-standing matter the union has been discussing with the police ministry.
He added that officers are "being killed in large numbers" and that there is "no plan … to deal with police killings."
According to the latest quarterly crime statistics, between July and September, there were 22 police officers killed across the country. During the same three-month period last year, 24 officers were killed.
The majority of the officers killed this year (18) were off-duty at the time. Four police officers were killed while on duty.
Gauteng saw the most cases, with eight murders of police officers during the three-month period, followed by the Western Cape, where five police officers were murdered.
Mamabolo said that in many cases, police officers are killed for their service pistols.
He said:
He added that more resources would be just one of the ways that officers could be kept safe.
"One of the contributing factors is that police are under-resourced. We see attacks on police stations and officers, but there is no sense of urgency in ensuring that police can work in larger groups to protect each other," he said.
"Even though we have now seen the addition of around 10 000 new police recruits to the police service, they are going to be deployed to dilapidated stations without the tools to do their work."
