THE Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union withdrew at the last minute from Tuesday’s national public servants’ strike after fears surfaced that a work stoppage by police officers might lead to an increase in crime. Popcru said its members would instead hold pickets at police stations and prisons during their lunch hour on Tuesday. Police and Correctional Services officials who were off-duty or on leave on Tuesday would take part in protest marches by public servants across the country, Popcru general secretary Abey Witbooi said. Popcru’s decision came after Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete appealed to Popcru’s parent-body, the Congress of SA Trade Unions, to persuade the police union to reconsider its strike plans.