POPCRU: No political will to address police killings
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) president Thulani Ngwenya has defended the conduct of the country’s cops amid several complaints of police brutality.
Ngwenya says it remains difficult for the men in blue to police residents in a democratic country.
The issue of police brutality hit the deadlines recently after a video came to light, showing eight VIP officers attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile beating up motorists on the N1 in Johannesburg.
In 2021, bystander Mthokozisi Ntumba was shot and killed by the police during a student protest in Johannesburg.
"In this democracy we are to liberal, only citizens have rights and police do not have rights,” says Ngwenya.
"Remember that the constitution demands police to act, and maintain law and order. so if the citizens can have the decency of understanding the law, then we would not have any police brutality.
"As we are going for the festive season, South Africans should respect the law and enjoy responsibly, so that police can focus on other issues.”
Ngwenya says measures put in place to assist police officers to deal with stress and traumatic events are not enough.
According to the crime statistics for the period between 1 April and 30 June, no less than 31 police officers were killed in the three-month period.
Ngwenya says there is no political will to stem the tide of police killings.
"We think there is not enough measures that have been put in place to address the escalating issue of police killings. there is no political will to address this issue.”
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