People have lost faith in the police – and thugs don’t fear them

Thursday was not a good day for South Africa.

Two cash-in-transit vans on their way from the depot to a bank in Kempton Park were blown up in Atlas Road, Boksburg, during a dramatic heist that affected many innocent bystanders.

Social media was flooded by videos and photographs of the brazen heist, which showed the robbers using high-calibre assault rifles. Traffic was backed up for kilometres, eight people sustained injuries and many more people were left traumatised.

Following a chase and shoot-out on the M2 highway, police arrested five suspects at the George Goch Hostel in Denver. Police still seek another five suspects.

It was carnage, something you would not expect to see on SA roads. Wrong, think again. The public have lost faith in the police. Hijackings, mall robberies and shoot-outs occur far too often and the public are scared.

More concerning are the words of the Institute for Security Studies’ Dr Johan Burger.

“Criminals don’t fear or respect the police because they are far advanced and, in some instances, have military training to their advantage,” Burger told The Star.

If the police don’t stand a chance, where does that leave the public?

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