Crime crisis: Should police fight fire with fire?

A discussion has begun since the weekend as reports emerged of another police shooting in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) that resulted in the deaths of criminals.

Crime experts, nongovernmental organisations and scholars alike have said the increase in suspects being shot dead during confrontations with the police is a concern, citing issues of transparency.

One expert called for an independent investigation into the surge in such incidents, while another said it shouldn’t be happening.

One X user said: “Sometimes intellectual debates are just unnecessary. At times, we just need to comprehend everyday peoples’ lived experiences.”

Since the beginning of April 2024, the total number of suspects killed in police shoot-outs in KZN is 40.

However, this is only a fraction of the damage criminals inflict. Year on year, crime statistics paint a grim picture, with increasing crime rates in KZN, Gauteng and the Western Cape.

South Africans are robbed and killed daily and communities are terrorised by audacious criminals. Yet today we express sympathy for them – more than for the lives of police?

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In KZN, hired hitmen rule the province and the taxi industry is a law unto themselves.

Should we not applaud the crackdown? What do we want?

Have we become more concerned about the rights of criminals? What about those innocent citizens killed daily in this country? What about the mothers and fathers killed while doing their jobs?

I share the sentiments of many South Africans who are exasperated that criminals can act with impunity, knowing they will get off scot-free due to the current justice system.

As long as they challenge the police with firearms, the police must respond decisively, or they will be shot at first. The criminals will not hesitate or miss.

Provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi demonstrates the grit and tactical insight needed. With leaders like him, we might regain control over the state of affairs in this country.

When former police minister Bheki Cele told the police to shoot to kill in 2009, there was a significant uproar. There is always opposition and yet we complain that government is not doing enough about crime.

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We must also recognise that some police officers are genuinely fearful of these deadly criminals. And while I am not a fan of Cele’s, it would appear that he foresaw where the crime crisis were heading.

The heart-wrenching photo of slain National Intervention Unit member Sthembiso Mazibuko’s one-year-old son, Phuthini Mazibuko, who kept touching his father’s picture during his funeral service in KwaMashu, is a clear depiction of the realities officers face in this country.

Mazibuko died during a shoot-out with suspects at a house in Ntuzuma. That is why we cannot mollycoddle ruthless criminals.

In August 2023, Norman Sekhukhune, the head of police crime research and statistics, told parliament’s portfolio committee on police that 31 police officers were killed between April and June 2023.

This was almost double the number of officers killed by criminals during the same period in 2022. In November 2023, Cele is quoted as saying over 70 police officers were killed on and off duty.

So, who should we blame? Is it not the failed police system that led to this situation where criminals have zero regard for law enforcement?

We cannot be apologetic about fighting crime when police and citizens are under attack.

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