Wanted: SAPS to Release Identikits of Murder and Robbery Suspects

Statement by Dan Plato, Western Cape Minister of Community Safety

The South African Police Service (SAPS) needs to call on the public’s help in order to bring a stop to the killing of security and law enforcement personnel in the province.

This weekend, a SAPS officer has been shot dead in Nyanga and this morning a security officer was killed at a shopping centre in Somerset West during an armed robbery.

SAPS crime intelligence, with the assistance of private security, mall owners and the network of closed circuit television (CCTV) security cameras in the province should release the identikits of suspects to the public.

These are not just robberies gone bad but the brazen nature of the attacks have spiralled them into attacks on the very systems meant to keep citizens safe.

I extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of those who have lost their lives this weekend while merely serving the public towards a safer environment.

The release of identikits and finding ways in which the public and the Department of Community Safety in the Western Cape can assist the police with information leading to apprehending the criminals behind these heinous attacks, are but two of the topics I will discuss with the SAPS management in the province at the soonest available time.