By Hajira Khota
06:09:2021

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged citizens to join the police in the fight against crime. During the annual South African Police Service Commemoration Day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Ramaphosa visited with the families of police officers who died in the line of duty.

According to Police Minister Bheki Cele, 852 South African Police Service members have died due to COVID-19 difficulties. The 34 men and women in blue who died between April 1, 2020, and March 31 this year were honoured.

The Police Minister asked those in attendance to observe a moment of silence in honour of South Africa’s fallen heroes who died in the line of duty.

Cele also thanked Ramaphosa for his support, saying that despite “growing issues in the criminal justice area,” Saps members are heartened by his efforts to make South Africans feel safe.

According to Ramaphosa, recent riots and looting have demonstrated that communities and law enforcement agencies prevent criminal activities. He says that criminals must understand that there is no place for them to hide in communities.

“In our societies, criminals live with us and among us. As a result, we must endeavour to improve community-police relations to support police efforts to reduce the number of major and violent crimes”.

Earlier this week, the police union POPCRU urged for immediate action to address the epidemic. According to the union, 38 officers have been killed by criminals in the last eight months.

Cele recently urged the people to unify against those who assassinate police personnel. He was addressing at the funeral of police officer Sharon Mogale in Ekurhuleni’s Kempton Park. Last month, Mogale was shot and died in a Tembisa retail store with another female police. Their service handguns were also taken by the four suspects who attacked them.

In the country, police killings continue to be a source of concern.