Police killing mayhem

There are no easy solutions to the violence police officers are subjected to each day. Although the number of police officers killed in the line of duty has declined over the past few years, the reasons for their death is of growing concern.

Though the South Africa Police Service is expected to enforce Section 49 of the Criminal Procedures Act, they are faced with resistance and violent retaliation from dangerous criminals and, sometimes, they lose their lives.

South Africa is considered the most civilised country in Africa, yet the killing of police officers on duty is taking its toll on the fight against crime as well as the families of the slain officers. This is because South Africa is ranked amongst the most criminally violent countries. Surveys have shown that eight out of 10 South Africans feel unsafe walking in their residential areas after dark.

It has been estimated that there are around 50 murders, 100 rapes, nearly 400 armed burglaries, and over 500 violent assaults recorded every day. The vulnerable groups such as women and children are the ones who bear the brunt of crime in the country.

Though the murder rate has fallen by half, to 34 per 100 000 inhabitants, every year since 1994, this is still seven times higher than the USA and 27 times higher than Britain.

The suspended chief of police, General Bheki Cele, once said: “A policeman should not die with his gun in his hand”.

He encouraged police officers to kill rather than get killed. However, the country has seen over 100 police officers die a year and the phenomenon has since been declared a national crisis.

According to reports, more than 55 police officers have been killed thus far this year.

There has, however, been a decrease in the number of officers dying since the democratic dispensation. In 1994, 265 officers were killed. This number went down to 178 in 2000 and 93 in 2011. But it remains a concern because a decrease in the number of officers actively serving can threaten the country’s security.

The death of a police officer, like a death of any other human being, leaves those who depend on them as a father, son, brother, husband, wife, mother, or daughter with shattered dreams. They are breadwinners and supporters of their families, and they have sacrificed their lives to protect their countrymen.

For Sheila Motloung, life changed suddenly on September 1, 2008. It was a normal day; her husband woke up in the morning and prepared to go to work. The couple had two children, aged 13 and 18.

“I was told that my husband was returning from the Thaba Nchu Magistrate’s Court after attending a case. While driving back, he was shot by an unknown man in the head. The car that he was driving overturned and he died on the scene. He was alone in the car.

“This was a shock of my life, because here I was now left alone to care for two children. We were staying at a place accommodating police families. Life changed and we struggled to make ends meet because we were still waiting for his money to be released.”

Motloung said the family struggled financially. The fact that those who killed her husband have never been found was salt in her wounds.

“We waited for two years. We had to move out from our home because we could not afford it anymore. I was devastated and waited to hear a word about the arrest of the perpetrators, but no one was arrested and until today we do not know who killed him and why.”

This family has received some of benefits they are entitled to, but they are still waiting for other policies to pay pending the court outcome. The case has, however, never proceeded to court because no one has been arrested so far.
Due to the challenge of facing daily spine-chilling crime scenes, a police officer can become a ticking time-bomb. They become stressed to the point where they themselves act recklessly and end up harming the people they are employed to protect.

In the past year, police were involved in assaulting and killing more than 500 South Africans.

Police are expected to keep disgruntled crowds under control during protests while ensuring that their lives are not in danger. They are also entrusted with protecting civilians and innocent people, but at times they end up hurting these very people.

The Weekly asked members of the public for their opinion on police killings. Some held the view that police officers are not well trained.

“Some do not have respect for their community and the notion of being innocent until proven guilty does not work with them. I have seen them behaving like they are a law unto themselves. Some of them mistreat and humiliate people during investigations and arrests,” said Thabiso Maphasa.

But, a police officer who wanted to remain anonymous told The Weekly that the men and women work under stressful conditions.

“I have been working as a policeman for years. I know how people can treat you with disregard when you execute your duties. We love our people, our job, and our country, but we are never fully prepared for what is out there.

“When a phone call comes in for us to do a routine check, sometime we know anything can happen, but in some instances it becomes more than what you expected. Yes, we are prepared for anything, but unfortunately we do not always win. We see our colleagues losing their lives and this takes a toll on us.”

Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, wrote in an article last week about how poor leadership is undermining the work of police.

“On-going problems at the highest levels of the SAPS are starting to take its toll on station level police men and women… The negative impact of bad leadership on the morale of police members cannot be separated. A police service suffering from poor leadership and low morale cannot effectively perform its mandate.”

The Richard Records of June 2011 attributed police killings to lack of management and oversight. It also said this may be the result of police officers not being vigilant or not sensitive to the dangers waiting for them in their field of work. The Records also stated that some officers become hyper-vigilant, which result in a casualty caused by them.

The legitimacy crisis faced by the force is another contributing factor to the disrespect shown by the public towards police officers. This has impacted negatively on their work performance and authority.

According to the Records, de-legitimisation, resistance, and sometimes active aggressiveness towards police are one of the long-lasting legacies of apartheid and colonisation.