President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday expressed his support for an amendment to the law to strengthen the hand of policemen in dealing with violent criminals.
”If you take a gun out to me that intent is more than clear, the next thing the criminal is going to shoot at me. That intent is very clear,” he told about 1 000 policemen and women in Pretoria.
Zuma said if police were expert marksmen they might be able to shoot at the criminal’s hand when they brandished their weapons.
”But in that spur of the moment … where will you have time to look for the hand?
”My thinking is once a criminal takes out their gun the intent is clear … police must then act to protect themselves and the innocents.”
Earlier this month Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said the amendment to Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which will give police more power in dealing with violent and dangerous criminals, was close to finalisation and would be brought before Parliament soon.
Zuma said the duty of police was to protect all people but when their lives and the lives of innocent people were threatened, they had no choice but to use force.
He added that this was not intended to encourage a culture of trigger-happy police officers.
Zuma asked whether police, when faced with criminals brandishing weapons, still had to fire a warning shot.
”Am I right?” he said and police responded in the affirmative.
He then quipped: ”Are the criminals having that rule?”
”Once a criminal takes out a gun, they shoot and once police try firing a warning shot, they are dead.
”That’s the reality,” Zuma said.
He added: ”Criminals don’t take an oath to do warning shots or whatever.”
The amendment to Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act has raised concerns that police may use deadly force when not necessary.
Zuma sought to make police understand the responsibilities and that the amendment would only apply when dealing with violent and dangerous criminals.
He told police that they carried an enormous responsibility and that they were not ”a police service” rather a ”police force”.
”It’s far beyond just services. It’s a serious matter.
”The police force is the eyes, ears and shield of the nation,” he said.
He said the crime statistics released by Mthethwa earlier this month were a reminder that more work was needed to make a dent in the number of house and business robberies as well as hijackings.
”These crimes evoke insecurity … as in most cases the victims are murdered or permanently maimed. They are left with lifelong scars.
”If these things are happening we are dealing with citizens feeling insecure,” he said.
Zuma added that the economy could improve but if people were afraid of being killed these gains would not be important.
”I think the safety of our people is very, very important,” he said.
He told police that government would do everything in its power to help reduce the dangers that affected them.
”Our hearts go out to the families of the men and women who have lost their lives,” he said describing the work the police do as being ”fraught with danger”.
Speak up, Zuma urges police
Zuma was speaking at the Voortrekker Monument, where he was meeting with the 1 000 station commanders to discuss ”how to take forward the fight against crime”.
He urged police station commanders to speak up about the problems they face in the war against the country’s rocketing crime rate.
”You must not fear,†Zuma said. ”We expect an open and frank discussion. Everyone here has a right to … speak, and if we don’t do so, we will not be helping the work before us as the police force.”
The president said he believed it was important to meet the police officials who dealt with the public on a daily basis.
”The local police station is the everyday face of the police service among our people. People’s perceptions of how good or how bad the police are, are based largely on interactions that occur at the local police station.”
Crime statistics remained ”harsh”, he said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to bring down crime rates.
Hundreds of policemen and women rose to salute him upon his arrival.
Clad in navy and pale blue, those tasked with upholding law and order in South Africa stood solemnly as a brass band played the national anthem.
On stage with Zuma sat Ministers in the Presidency Trevor Manuel and Collins Chabane as well as Justice Minister Jeff Radebe and Police Minister Mthethwa.
The meeting comes a week after the annual release of crime statistics painted a grim picture.
The latest crime statistics showed that about 50 people were murdered in South Africa a day, while business robberies increased by 41,5% and house robberies by 27,3%.
Zuma’s office said that ”the meeting forms part of President’s Zuma intention to meet with public servants who are in the coalface of service delivery, to ensure that they understand government objectives from the highest office.”
All nine provincial premiers and the provincial ministers responsible for community safety were scheduled to attend the event. — Sapa