85 cops killed in past year

Cape Town - 090127 - At Khayelitsha's Nonceba Hall on National Police Day there was a meeting to help organize how local organizations could assist the police in dealing with community issues. Photo by Skyler Reid.

Cape Town - 090127 - At Khayelitsha's Nonceba Hall on National Police Day there was a meeting to help organize how local organizations could assist the police in dealing with community issues. Photo by Skyler Reid.

Published Apr 4, 2015

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Johannesburg - Eighty five police officers were killed in the past 12 months, the police ministry said on Saturday.

“One police officer serves at least 340 people in this country. Up until now, eighty five of our officers have been killed since March/April last year, leaving many people without the service of a police officer,” said spokesman Musa Zondi.

“The Minister [of Police Nkosinathi Nhleko] views the ongoing killing of police men and women as a nation that intents on robbing itself of hardworking civil servants.’

The body of a member of the public order policing was found in Turffontein, south of Johannesburg on Saturday.

The commander had been stabbed to death, Gauteng police said.

The high ranking officer is the latest officer to be killed in recent days.

On March 24, twelve armed men shot and killed a constable following an attempted armed robbery at Johannesburg’s Park Station.

The alleged killers stole his service pistol.

On march 29, three officers were shot by unknown men on the N3 in Modderfontein, east of Johannesburg.

Two of the police officers died, the third received treatment at a hospital.

Zondi said a lot of money went into training police officers.

“The police department spends a lot of money to train officers. When they get killed, it is money down the drain. We cannot afford to lose so many police officers.” - African News Agency

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