National Commemoration Day – Honour, Respect, and Assist our SAPS

Statement by Dan Plato, Western Cape Minister of Community Safety

I urge every person in the province and the country at large to observe the South African Police Services (SAPS) National Commemoration Day today in remembrance of officers who have lost their lives over the past year.

Today we honour and remember the brave men and women in blue who have paid the ultimate price in efforts to protect and serve the rest of us.

I would like to convey my condolences to the families and friends of the police officers who lost their lives over the past year in this province, and to the communities who are poorer without these brave men and women.

My hopes are that our commemoration today will not end as the sun sets but that it will linger with each and every person, and inspire us all to assist the SAPS in their daily operations. We need to help protect the SAPS in order for them to protect us.

The Western Cape government condemns cop killings. While we have no operational control over SAPS, our government is committed to support the hard working police men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect others.

I support the SAPS in their efforts to deal with police killings, like the “adopt-a-cop” awareness campaign, and call on the people of the Western Cape to throw their support behind our SAPS in this regard. Together, as a united front against crime and callous attacks on the police, we can help ensure that our officers stay safe.