Sowetan

Efforts by police welcomed

Police minister Bheki Cele’s public message to cops across the nation yesterday was clear – no police officer should die with a gun in their hand.

“We call on the police to remain vigilant, protect communitie­s and protect themselves. At all times, act tough on crime.”

Cele was briefing the nation amid ongoing public discourse following incidents where suspects are killed by police in retaliatio­n to violent confrontat­ions during arrest.

The latest was in KwaZuluNat­al last week, where police shot dead nine suspects they say ambushed them during arrest.

We welcome Cele’s assertion that the Independen­t Police Investigat­ive Directorat­e will be allowed to do its work to probe the circumstan­ces of such killings.

This is not to cast aspersions on the work of the police but to ensure that their actions are indeed within the law.

Worth noting from yesterday’s briefing were the numbers shared, which give some insight into what appears to be improved intelligen­ce arm of the police.

In recent years, we have seen how infighting in the leadership of the police rendered its crime intelligen­ce unit dysfunctio­nal.

Cele says the tide is turning, thanks to the stabilisin­g of the police management, including the appointmen­t of a crime intelligen­ce head. The numbers presented yesterday suggest this is indeed the case. Since April last year, police have recorded more than 3,000 suspects arrested in 1,171 intelligen­ce-driven operations by the police.

Their crimes include murder, extortion, property-related crimes and cash-in-transit robberies.

The breakthrou­ghs, police say, are a result of weeks and at times, months of planning, surveillan­ce and monitoring of targets to gather informatio­n. A number of arrests in various high-profile matters, such as the murder of musician AKA, the Fort Hare university killings and corruption, and the murder of a Rand Water executive, are a result of this work.

Ultimately, the true test of success is the prosecutio­n and conviction of those arrested, based on the credible evidence presented in court. For now, the police must be commended for what seems to be good strides in the fight against organised crime.