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Police Minister Bheki Cele
- Police are facing new threats, including targets organized by criminals, Police Minister Bheki Cele said.
- He said the killing of KwaZulu-Natal police officer Captain Thulani Molefe, who investigated the violence in taxis, was concerning.
- He called on communities to come forward to help police arrest criminals.
Police are being targeted in a sophisticated and organized manner and not only facing common street crimes, Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Tuesday.
“It seems that the police are killed in a very organized way starting with [Detective Charl] Kinnear in [the] Western Cape and this one too, “he said.
Cele spoke in front of the funeral of Captain Thulani Molefe from the Kwandangezi Police Station, who was shot dead, on his way to work on December 14.
According to Cele, 46 officers had been killed, while on duty and off duty, on December 21.
He said 19 were killed on duty, while 27 were killed off duty.
“There is some form of organized crime against the police, not necessarily only in KZN …”
He said the police were facing further threats.
“It is not just ordinary police that are tackling street crime, but there are many plans to eliminate the police.”
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Cele said that in KZN, attacks had increased.
“There has been an increase in attacks here at KZN, but what is emerging is that this is a group of criminals. The things they are chasing are tools that are used to commit crimes.”
He said that in another incident, weapons were also stolen from the police.
“At the points of the police station, weapons were taken. With this matter, Molefe was trying to resolve the issues of violence in the taxis. We want a better additional investigation into what really happened.”
Cele asked the communities to work with the police.
“That war cannot be won by the police alone. Wherever we go, even today, we call on communities to work with the police. The administration is here, and we are all here. There are things that will have to change.”
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