‘Why we shoot’ – Cop reveals dismal odds riot police face

When bricks, rocks, and bottles are flying in your direction and all you have is a shotgun loaded with rubber bullets “less accurate than a paintball gun”, training and muscle memory are supposed to kick in to prevent injury to oneself and colleagues, stop damage to property and disperse protesters.

That’s according to a Public Order Policing (POP) member, who may not be named in case of retribution.

The problem is, the member said, too often police are thrown onto the firing line when politicians have failed to keep their promises.

“It’s then your heart starts beating very fast as there are many things to remember and look out for and, on top of everything else, our training and tools are not what they should be,” the member said.

The member noted they were not given enough training, as techniques and situations changed and responses needed to evolve. “[SA Police Service] don’t have 9mm ammo to give us training – and I mean training, not the yearly maintenance shoot.”

The maintenance shoot is designed for members to remain familiar with their firearms.

“While we have riot control equipment, we don’t have effective rubber bullets. Paintball guns shoot better and more accurately than our white 12-gauge rounds. They are a waste of money,” the member said.

“At the other end, we have state-of-the-art 40mm stopper firearms lying in the safe for the past two years because there is no ammunition.”

These were one of the best nonlethal weapons at POP’s disposal, the member noted.

“Some of the teargas we are using dates back to 1976, almost as old as me. We don’t shoot R1 or R5 maintenance because there is no ammo.

“So, at the moment we must fight riots with useless stun grenades and throwing teargas by hand. Our new recruits did a maintenance shoot, but there’s been no training. So, in summary, we are f***ed.”

On Wednesday, four police officers appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court in connection with the murder of Mthokozisi Ntumba during a Wits student protest last week.

They were also charged with defeating the ends of justice, which meant someone believed the accused tried to destroy evidence. Police spokesman Brigadier Vish Naidoo could not comment on the state of the police.

“The minister of police will be releasing the response to the Farlam Commission recommendations at the end of this month,” he said. The response would “talk to the progress police have made regarding the recommendations”.

Institute for Security Studies’ Gareth Newham said police were not held to the standards to which they were trained. He said some front-line supervisors did not ensure officers maintained the requisite standards.

He said every day, police used force unnecessarily and unlawfully.

“That’s why we have such a high level of civil claims. “In the past five years, more than R1 billion was paid out to people who have proven they are victims of unlawful police behaviour.”

marizkac@citizen.co.za

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