It’s a matter of life and death

THE tragedy of a Metro Police dog that was electrocuted while in full chase of a thief who was also killed when he tripped over an illegal electricity connection, raises so many issues.
K9 or dog units do amazing work, and the animal’s speciality is at the heart of the success of these units.
The dogs are put through their paces in endless hours of training, and without a doubt, they bond and find a soft spot in the hearts of the policemen they are assigned to.
Indeed, the death of a K9 unit member, whether four-legged or two, is a tragic event that is remembered and mourned for long afterwards.
Khulu’s will no doubt be remembered by his handler, irrespective of his need to move on and partner with another canine policing companion.
The thief’s death is even more tragic, and raises the spectre of illegal electricity connections as a serious health threat to anyone and everyone in their vicinity. The man obviously had no clue that he was approaching a live wire, which was apparently strung low to the ground. A child, left to its own devices, could quite as easily, but innocently, have stumbled upon the life-threatening danger posed by such an illegal connection.
More has to be done to ensure that the ‘theft’ of electricity becomes a thing of the past. The tragedy that unfolded last week is as good a reason as any, to see the merit in fast-tracking such a move. It’s a matter of life and death.