Cop killings 'unacceptable'
2003-09-05 20:43
Johannesburg - Attacks on and murders of policemen were unacceptable because police were the guardians of society and enforcers of the law, Johannesburg police commissioner Oswald Reddy said on Friday.
Reddy was speaking at a memorial service for three policemen who were killed while on duty in August.
"An attack on us is an attack on the government and the community," Reddy said. It was time that the community took a stand and spoke out against police killings.
Two of the murdered policemen would be buried on Saturday in Soshanguve north of Pretoria and in Venda.
Inspector Amanda Roestoff said in a statement that seven people had been arrested in connection with the murders and had already appeared in court.
Inspector Simon Letswalo was shot in the Johannesburg city centre a week ago while he and a colleague were trying to arrest suspected thieves. A shoot-out ensued and Letswalo was killed, while his colleague was wounded. Three suspects were arrested.
Constable Morris Thifhulufhelwi also died last Friday. He was shot in the head five days earlier while he was pursuing suspected armed robbers in the Hillbrow area. A suspect was also shot dead by the police and two others were arrested in the incident.
A police reservist from Randburg, 29-year-old Rudolf Wagenaar, was killed during an armed robbery at the Pick 'n Pay store at the Randburg Waterfront on August 4. Two men were arrested in connection with the incident.
Four policemen have been killed while on duty in Johannesburg since the beginning of the year.
- SAPA