Newly-appointed Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkhongi has urged police officers to take the fight to criminals and to avoid using extensive force during service delivery and student protests.
Mkhongi yesterday spoke to more than 150 police members in East London during a visit that forms part of a provincial work tour.
“We can’t have a situation where five police members are killed in five days and you can’t fight back because these criminals are protected by law.”
The deputy police minister said they were dealing with criminals armed with sophisticated weapons.
“You must use the tools of trade we have given you. Teachers are given chalk, a chalk board and a duster as their tools of trade and we have given you a vehicle, a firearm and a bulletproof vest – use those tools of trade.”
Mkhongi said his ministry would focus on strengthening relations with the community through imbizos and structures like community policing forums.
He cautioned against the use of excessive force during peaceful protests, instructing the officers to improve ways of handling public disorder and controlling a crowd.
“Don’t use guns to mow down ordinary people in peaceful protests or student uprisings because those innocent people are exercising their rights by demonstrating.”
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on the sidelines, Mkhongi said the ministry would look into fixing the dilapidated state of police stations in the province, including the Fort Beaufort Police Station.
The station in Campbell Street was shut down by the Department of Labour after several complaints about its structural integrity. It was deemed dangerous both to police and the public because it was plagued by structural defects.
“This is part of the visit, to inspect the state of the police stations in this province after the national office heard complaints,” he said.
Mkhongi said he has inspected several police stations in the province and discovered most of them faced a critical shortage of vehicles.
“Coming to inspect for ourselves is important because it helps us to come up with a good programme of action.”
He also commented on the ongoing national police investigation into the theft of police firearms at Peddie Police Station.
“Robbing a police station is unusual and shocking and it shows that criminals are undermining the police. We will be dealing with the suspects in that investigation.”
About 30 police-issued firearms, which included 12 assault rifles, 12 handguns and six shotguns, were stolen from the strongroom of the police station on March 14 this year.
The station commander was hauled before a task team from the national head office in Pretoria following the incident. She has since been transferred pending the investigation.
Mkhongi said it was a mystery where many criminals get firearms.
“Who is smuggling weaponry into South Africa, arming criminals because not all the firearms with criminals are from the police stations?”
Mkhongi was accompanied by a high-level delegation of national police bosses from the SAPS national head office in Pretoria. — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
Fight back, police urged
Mkhongi yesterday spoke to more than 150 police members in East London during a visit that forms part of a provincial work tour.
“We can’t have a situation where five police members are killed in five days and you can’t fight back because these criminals are protected by law.”
The deputy police minister said they were dealing with criminals armed with sophisticated weapons.
“You must use the tools of trade we have given you. Teachers are given chalk, a chalk board and a duster as their tools of trade and we have given you a vehicle, a firearm and a bulletproof vest – use those tools of trade.”
Mkhongi said his ministry would focus on strengthening relations with the community through imbizos and structures like community policing forums.
He cautioned against the use of excessive force during peaceful protests, instructing the officers to improve ways of handling public disorder and controlling a crowd.
“Don’t use guns to mow down ordinary people in peaceful protests or student uprisings because those innocent people are exercising their rights by demonstrating.”
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on the sidelines, Mkhongi said the ministry would look into fixing the dilapidated state of police stations in the province, including the Fort Beaufort Police Station.
The station in Campbell Street was shut down by the Department of Labour after several complaints about its structural integrity. It was deemed dangerous both to police and the public because it was plagued by structural defects.
“This is part of the visit, to inspect the state of the police stations in this province after the national office heard complaints,” he said.
Mkhongi said he has inspected several police stations in the province and discovered most of them faced a critical shortage of vehicles.
“Coming to inspect for ourselves is important because it helps us to come up with a good programme of action.”
He also commented on the ongoing national police investigation into the theft of police firearms at Peddie Police Station.
“Robbing a police station is unusual and shocking and it shows that criminals are undermining the police. We will be dealing with the suspects in that investigation.”
About 30 police-issued firearms, which included 12 assault rifles, 12 handguns and six shotguns, were stolen from the strongroom of the police station on March 14 this year.
The station commander was hauled before a task team from the national head office in Pretoria following the incident. She has since been transferred pending the investigation.
Mkhongi said it was a mystery where many criminals get firearms.
“Who is smuggling weaponry into South Africa, arming criminals because not all the firearms with criminals are from the police stations?”
Mkhongi was accompanied by a high-level delegation of national police bosses from the SAPS national head office in Pretoria. — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
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