Police Minister Bheki Cele. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Police Minister Bheki Cele has called on officers to get tough and “fight fire with fire” on criminals who are daring to take on police.
Cele made the remarks at the funeral of slain police officer Sphesihle Cele who was killed in the line of duty in KwaZulu-Natal.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has lost over 70 police officers in the past seven months to criminal attacks and ambushes.
Cele expressed his revulsion on the killing of officers on and off duty.
“We are appalled that about 10 police officers have been killed every single month since April; all at the hands of criminals. These criminals are daring taking on the police and taking on the police man’s you’re on the state and will remove any obstacle in their way of their criminal greed.
“This is why I will forever call on police to fight fire with fire especially when their lives are threatened. No officer must ever die with a weapon in their hands,” Cele said.
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Police said Constable Sphesihle Cele a 26-year-old Public Order Policing (POP) member was shot and killed while he and his team members responded to a complaint of a man carrying a firearm inside a tavern in Empangeni.
“While responding to the scene, the young officer was shot at by the armed man and died on the scene. The shooter was then shot and killed by the police.”
In Gauteng, Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale together with the National Commissioner of Saps, General Fannie Masemola led proceedings of the funeral service of the late Constable Marven Maphoro.
Mathale was shot and killed last week Thursday, while responding to an ATM bombing at a filling station in Tembisa, Gauteng.
Mathale urged police officers to use force proportional to the threat when under attack.
“Don’t hesitate to use the resources we have given you to defend your communities and yourselves. Don’t hesitate to use force which proportional to the threat , communities are depending on you for protection”
With the clear rise in fatalities of the country’s police, Masemola has assured members that they will continue to be capacitated and empowered to respond to criminals and crime.
“The killing of members will not deter us but instead it bolsters our efforts to fight crime. As the management of the service, the capacitation and resourcing of our members, remains an apex priority for management. We will continue to ensure members are tactically trained and well resourced to defend communities.”
The latest crime statistics show that 35 officers were killed on and off duty between July and September 2023. Since the start of the financial year in April, 78 officers were killed in South Africa.
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