SA’s cops need protection – Officers increasingly becoming targets for criminals

Experts say public distrust in the South African Police Service’s men and women in blue has not only fostered a sense of lawlessness, but has also made them targets for criminals.

In the latest cop killing, an off-duty police officer was shot in cold blood while having a haircut at a street barber in Bramley View, Joburg, the past weekend. A massive manhunt has been launched for his killer, Gauteng police said.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the off-duty warrant officer was stationed at Sandton police station.

“Reports indicate that an unknown man approached the officer from behind and started swearing at him before firing two shots at the officer,” Netshiunda said.

“The officer was declared dead at the scene. No one has been arrested in connection with the murder yet.”

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Earlier this month, the quarterly crime statistics revealed that 10 off-duty officers and eight on-duty officers were killed from April to June in the first quarter of the financial year.

But according to the statistics, there was a decrease in cop killings, with 31 murdered in the same period last year.

Security expert Dr Johan Burger said the general lawlessness in the country indicated people were less concerned about consequences for noncompliance with laws.

“The same applies to the law enforcement officers. Of course, some criminals take it a step further and physically attack law enforcement officers. Their motives vary. Some target them for their firearms, cellphones, hand-held radios or whatever there is to steal,” he said.

Burger said police vehicles were also a target.

“Policemen often contribute to this by letting their guard down and when they are off duty, finding themselves in places like shebeens where they are exposed,” he said.

‘Lack of trust in police’

Burger said a recent Stats SA opinion poll indicated the trust in and for the police decreased from about 49% to 25% during the past decade. According to the figures in the police’s annual reports, on average 60% of the victims of police murders were on duty during the attacks.

“This undoubtedly contributes to the belief among niche communities that police officers are poorly trained and an easy target,” Burger said.

Professor Jaco Barkhuizen, a criminologist and head of the department of criminology at the University of Limpopo, said because there was no trust in the police, criminals saw it as an open invitation to target police.

“The lack of trust in police and lack of trust in law enforcement in general in South Africa is a problem because now police officers themselves become targets of criminality and criminals,” he said.

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Barkhuizen said police officers, both on or off duty, were being targeted by criminals.

“Especially for violent criminals, police have become soft targets, because society has lost faith in the police service. And the moment you lose faith in an institution, you lose faith in the individuals – rightly or wrongly so,” Barkhuizen said.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za