Mchunu: Claims of ‘trigger-happy’ police ‘factually incorrect’
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has labelled claims that the country's police are trigger-happy as unfair and factually incorrect.
There have been concerns over the number of suspects recently killed in shootouts with officers, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
On Tuesday morning in Cape Town, eight suspected cash-in-transit robbers were shot and killed in a gunfight with police in Khayelitsha.
READ: Suspected hijackers killed in Umlazi shootout
Last week, at least five suspects were killed in shootouts in KZN.
Speaking to the media on day three of the ANC’s NEC Lekgotla in Gauteng, Mchunu said the police chiefs will meet with those concerned about the shootings.
However, he maintains officers have every right to defend themselves when they come under fire.
"They don't talk about trigger-happy criminals, and we say nothing about communities that fall victim to such killing gangs. We want to send a warning: if you point a gun and indeed you shoot at police, you must not expect that police are not going to respond to you.
ALSO READ: Suspect killed in police shootout in Esikhaleni
"They [police] need to defend themselves. Police are human beings; they are fathers and mothers - they just can't give themselves up to criminals. They need to spare themselves so that tomorrow they are available to protect all of us."
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