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KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has urged community crime fighting structures to work with the police and to avoid direct confrontation with suspected criminals.
This follows the fatal shooting of three community patrollers by suspected robbers at the Bhambayi area in Inanda, north of Durban on Saturday.
According to police, the community patrollers were on a routine patrol along Nohohwana Skeke Street when they encountered three men believed to be linked to a spate of robberies in the area. The patrollers were reportedly trying to track down criminals who had robbed several homes in the area.
A confrontation ensued and gunfire was exchanged, ending in the fatal shooting of one patroller and a suspected robber, with the other two patrollers succumbing to their injuries in hospital
Police Spokesperson Robert Netshiunda says the mandate of community policing structures is solely to support law enforcement through observation and reporting, not to intervene directly.
“We encouarage community participation in the fight against crime, it is the only way we can win the fight. However, community structures like the Community Police Forum (CPF) and other supplementary structures must be the eyes and ears of the police and never take actions that may endanger their lives. We have seen criminals shooting at police officers, meaning that they will never think twice before shooting a civilian.”
VIDEO| Fear grips Bhambayi residents after Inanda shooting
