Police officers in the Western Cape are more likely to be killed while off duty than on duty.
Head of justice and prevention at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Gareth Newham, said nine police officers were killed off-duty and four on duty during 2022/23 in the province.
“These statistics show a large proportion of police officials who are killed are off-duty at the time. Greater attention needs to be given to these killings so that appropriate interventions can be taken to reduce the number of police officials who are killed off-duty.
“The killing of police officials like all murders is a terrible tragedy. When police officials are killed by criminal suspects while on duty, it highlights the danger that they can face as part of their work.
He added that, “most police officers are killed while they are off duty in similar circumstances to which most murders occur. That is, they get into arguments or there is a domestic dispute that turns deadly, or they are victims of crimes such as robberies.
“When police officials are killed on-duty, the most common situation is when they come across criminal suspects who have just committed or are in the process of committing a violent crime, the police official is trying to affect an arrest of a suspect or the police officials are ambushed while on patrol,” he said.
Earlier this week five police officers were attacked, two fatally, in Cape Town’s townships.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed these incidents.
“Two off duty police officers were killed in two isolated incidents in Khayelitsha, while three on duty police officers were injured after armed suspects opened fire at their vehicle in Nyanga. They were not killed, and there is no indication that the three cases are linked,” he said.
National spokesperson for the minister of police, Lirandzu Themba said the ministry is worried about the attacks on police officers.
“As we speak, the minister of police and SAPS management have convened a meeting inclusive of provincial commissioners and divisional commissioners, to strategise on how best to prevent and minimise the attacks and killings of members.
“The SAPS does have a police safety strategy which it is continuously implementing to ensure safety of members on and off duty. To date, R25 million has been set aside to enhance safety and security measures involving police officers and our stations.
“We call on police to be more vigilant as police attacks and killings are on the increase. We also urge communities to support police safety initiatives.
“The killing of 15 officers since April to date is totally unacceptable.” she said.