No arrests yet for Maydon Wharf cop shooting

A police officer walked from Dalton Road and Khuzimpi Shezi Road to get onto the Dalbridge train station footbridge. This crosses the railway lines and the M4 Freeway to reach Maydon Road. Picture supplied.

A police officer walked from Dalton Road and Khuzimpi Shezi Road to get onto the Dalbridge train station footbridge. This crosses the railway lines and the M4 Freeway to reach Maydon Road. Picture supplied.

Published Oct 23, 2019

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Durban - Police have not arrested anyone as yet in connection with the shooting and robbery of a police sergeant near Maydon Wharf on Monday. 

Police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili said a police sergeant was attacked on morning around 7am on Maydon Road on his way to work. 

“He is attached to the Durban Harbour. He was shot and injured and his service firearm was taken. The member is reported to be in a stable condition in hospital. No arrests have been made yet,” Muridili said. 

The police would not divulge whether the sergeant had gotten off a train or if he had walked from Dalton Road and Khuzimpi Shezi Road to get onto the Dalbridge train station footbridge. This crosses the railway lines and the M4 Freeway to reach Maydon Road. 

The sergeant’s work colleagues were told not to divulge any information. A source said, “a well-dressed man” was involved in the robbery. He was shot in the abdomen. 

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) called for tougher sentences on perpetrators who attack police officers.

Blessed Gwala MPL and IFP KZN Spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison,said, "This sickening attack on a serving police officer is utterly appalling. The IFP says criminals who attack the police should be jailed with 'no ifs or buts'. If you attack a police officer, you need to know you will go to prison; no ifs, no buts. I'm sure the public feel exactly the same. How have we come to a point as a society to the fact where we almost accept this every day?"

Police at the scene. A police officer walked from Dalton Road and Khuzimpi Shezi Road to get onto the Dalbridge train station footbridge. He was shot and wounded and robbed of his firearm. This crosses the railway lines and the M4 Freeway to reach Maydon Road. Picture supplied.

Gwala said the attacks on police officers who serve and protect the communities seem to continue unabated and they should be strongly condemned by all sectors of society. A

He said attacks on police officers are increasing because criminals are no longer scared of the police. 

"The attack is a symptom of people having less fear of the law. The IFP is further concerned about the gun that was stolen from a police officer in Durban. It is terrible that the stolen firearm is now in the hands of criminals. It should be a priority for the police to recover the firearm. This incident is an illustration of where the guns to commit crimes come from. The legal trade feeds the illegal trade," Gwala said. 

"Stolen guns pose a significant risk to community safety. Whether stolen from a gun store or an individual gun owner’s collection, these guns often head straight into the illegal underground gun market, where they are sold, traded, and used to facilitate violent crimes. They undermine the enforcement of our gun laws and often end up in the possession of someone who was legally prohibited from having guns. They further pose a substantial risk to public safety,Gwala added.  

He wished the injured police officer a speedy recovery. 

Daily News

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