Africa-Press – South-Africa. The police’s top brass says communities that protect gangsters and fight the police are acting counter to efforts to rid society of the scourge.
Presenting a plan to Parliament on Wednesday on how the SAPS plans to deal with the issue, particularly in the Western Cape, hostility towards the police was highlighted as a challenge faced in implementing the strategy.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said he believed that community crime volunteers should be paid for their efforts.
Following the recent assault on a police woman in Kimberley, which was captured on camera and has been circulated widely on social media this week, police leadership has told Parliament they’re concerned by the increasing number of attacks on its officers.
Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili said the police were also encountering hostilities when they tried to deal with gangsterism.
“We have seen this in the Western Cape, where communities will support some of the gang groups and when they are apprehended by law enforcement, they will oppose and attack.”
Mosikili said Cape Town police officers were also recently stoned and attacked in Samora Machel while responding to a complaint.
Cachalia said the success of policing strategies would require collaboration with communities.
“I’m fully in support of the idea that volunteers in communities should get stipends. How we do that, is a separate question.”
Cachalia said that a review of community policing was also underway.
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