Twelve police officers have been killed in South Africa since the start of the year.

This is according to a report on Sunday in the Sunday Tribune.

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) policing expert Dr Jean Steyn told the newspaper that over the past 20 years more than 160 police officers have been killed annually.

He believes attacks on the police are an attack on the morality of South Africa.

“It’s a sad day for South Africa that we have so many attacks on police officers and this should be neither condoned nor normalised.”

Constable Kuhle Mathetha‚ Warrant Officer Zuko Mbini‚ Constable Zuko Ntsheku‚ Constable Nkosiphendule Pongco and Constable Sibongiseni Sandlana were killed on Wednesday when gunmen raided the Ngcobo police station in the Eastern Cape and stole 10 guns.

An ex-soldier was also killed in the attack.

Seven suspects were killed in a bloody exchange of gunfire with the police on Friday evening in a churchyard in Nyanga village near Ngcobo. Some suspects escaped‚ 10 were arrested and one police officer was wounded and rushed to hospital.

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula said on Saturday what happened at Ngcobo must never happen again.

“This tragedy will remain one of the worst moments of our democracy‚ where protectors of our democracy and people were under attack. What happened at Ngcobo must never happen again in our republic.”