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No
trust between SAPS and the Cape community
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No one has come forward with information about police killings that
are plaguing the Western Cape due to a lack of trust between authorities and
the community.
Gauteng’s community policing forum board chairman Andy Mashaile said it was vital for police to engage with the community, hear their complaints and work with them. “There seems to be a break-down between police and residents in Cape Town, which differs here as Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Mzwandile Petros prioritised building a relationship with the community,” Mashaile said yesterday. This was after a reward of R50 000 was offered by the Department of Community Safety in the Western Cape for information that would result in the arrest and prosecution of the killers of police officers in the province. Three police officers had been killed in Cape Town since last week, with four more killed during the past six weeks. The City of Cape Town offered another R50 000 reward for the same cause. Minister for Community Safety in the Western Cape Dan Plato said no amount could make up for the loss of a life, and no amount of money would provide comfort to the family, friends and colleagues of the police officers killed in recent weeks. “But it is my hope that by offering a reward that someone somewhere will come forward and help the police catch the cowardly criminals responsible for these terrible acts,” Plato said in a statement. “Every society has a criminal element and these cowardly criminals have killed the people that have chosen to dedicate their lives to protecting the people of South Africa.” Mashaile maintained that engaging with the community played an integral part in strengthening the police’s relationship with residents. “Gauteng community m embers now point out drug dealers and other criminals after a lot of effort was put into building that relationship,” he said. By JeVanne Gibbs The Citizen 06/08/13 |
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Crimes of the South African Police Service
