Colleagues remember slain cops

Hundreds of SAPS members gathered at the Union Buildings to honour their colleagues who died during the past year.

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Pretoria - Hundreds of members from the South African Police Service gathered at the Union Buildings on Sunday to honour their colleagues who died during the past year.

President Jacob Zuma is expected to make the keynote address, while the Minister of Police Nathi Nhleko, and the National Police Commissioner General Riah Phiyega are expected to address the families and friends of the 63 officers who were slain in the past financial year.

A staggering 56 officers have been killed since January.

There has been an outcry from communities regarding the recent spike in police murders which has prompted Parliament to cast doubt on the SAPS’s strategy to curb the killing of police officers.

Parliament’s police portfolio committee has expressed concern that “the killing of police officers in the country had reached intolerable proportions”.

Committee chairman Francois Beukman called for proactive measures to stop the bloodletting.

Meanwhile President Zuma has called for a re-evaluation of gun laws in the country an effort to curb the killings.

IOL