ON Tuesday Busisiwe Mehlwana became the 48th police officer to be murdered this year.
The 33-year-old reservist died when robbers opened fire on her and a colleague as they were responding to an ATM bombing in Soweto at about 10.30pm.
Today, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa will join police commissioner General Bheki Cele, community policing forums, business and research institutions to find ways to put an end to police killings.
Mthethwa said although police killings had decreased over the years, the deaths of 48 officers in the first six months of this year was "unacceptable".
"It does not auger well for building confidence within society when people who are supposed to protect us are killed the way they are," Mthethwa said during an interview at police headquarters in Pretoria.
Mehlwana and the other 47 slain officers from across the country were mostly shot while on duty - some sustained several gun shot wounds in very violent attacks by more than one armed suspect.
Mthethwa said the circumstances under which most of the killings took place point to the fact that criminals were feeling the heat because of visible policing and the police's success in lowering the crime rate.
He attributed the killings to "greed, heartlessness and hate", insisting the murders had nothing to do with society losing respect for officers.
"These killings definitely have nothing to do with loss of respect for police, but everything to do with some people who can see visible success of policing in the fight against crime," he said.
Society's respect for police, said Mthethwa, was evident in the tip-offs and help police get from citizens when rooting out criminals in their neighbourhoods. Mthethwa and more than 100 delegates will gather in Boksburg today to look at whether systems and strategies in place were effective at protecting police officers from attacks.
Bid to stop cop killings after 48th is slain
ON Tuesday Busisiwe Mehlwana became the 48th police officer to be murdered this year.
The 33-year-old reservist died when robbers opened fire on her and a colleague as they were responding to an ATM bombing in Soweto at about 10.30pm.
Today, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa will join police commissioner General Bheki Cele, community policing forums, business and research institutions to find ways to put an end to police killings.
Mthethwa said although police killings had decreased over the years, the deaths of 48 officers in the first six months of this year was "unacceptable".
"It does not auger well for building confidence within society when people who are supposed to protect us are killed the way they are," Mthethwa said during an interview at police headquarters in Pretoria.
Mehlwana and the other 47 slain officers from across the country were mostly shot while on duty - some sustained several gun shot wounds in very violent attacks by more than one armed suspect.
Mthethwa said the circumstances under which most of the killings took place point to the fact that criminals were feeling the heat because of visible policing and the police's success in lowering the crime rate.
He attributed the killings to "greed, heartlessness and hate", insisting the murders had nothing to do with society losing respect for officers.
"These killings definitely have nothing to do with loss of respect for police, but everything to do with some people who can see visible success of policing in the fight against crime," he said.
Society's respect for police, said Mthethwa, was evident in the tip-offs and help police get from citizens when rooting out criminals in their neighbourhoods. Mthethwa and more than 100 delegates will gather in Boksburg today to look at whether systems and strategies in place were effective at protecting police officers from attacks.
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