Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A police officer was over the weekend killed in a motorcycle theft shootout in Juba, police authorities said.
Maj. Gen. Daniel Justin, Spokesperson of the South Sudan National Police Service, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that the incident happened in the Joppa neighborhood of Juba City over the weekend.
“A police officer nabbed a motorcycle, and when the case was reported, and forces went to recover the bike, the officer started firing at the forces, who then fired back. So that is how he met his death,” Daniel explained.
Daniel, however, did not identify the police officer killed in the motorcycle theft shootout.
He added that a similar incident happened in the New Site area over the same period.
“They were arrested after the case was reported. They stole a motorbike, and then we followed them. Then we were informed, and we went there and made arrests. The one at New Site just abandoned the motorbike,” Daniel said.
The police spokesperson attributed the involvement of men in uniform in criminal activities to personal behaviors. “It is an individual behavior; we don’t have any concrete answer for that,” Justin said.
Reacting to the two incidents, Juba resident Jal Gatwech questioned the safety of ordinary civilians if the security forces were involved in criminal activities.
“If the police or security organs are the ones involved in stealing citizens’ properties like motorcycles, how safe are the people? It is not right, and the reason security personnel are doing such things is that they have nothing in their hands to sustain their families. That is the reason why they are involved in looting the property of the citizens.” Gatwech said.
Last week, the Ministry of Interior reinstated the operation of CCTV surveillance cameras in Juba, marking the end of a four-year hiatus.
The ministry issued a stern warning to criminals during the launch, emphasizing that their illicit activities would now be closely monitored.
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