Pretoria - Gauteng police are offering a reward of up to R400 000 for any information that could lead to the arrest and successful conviction of a group of suspects who attacked and killed three police members on the N3 highway and at Park Station recently.
“The safety and well-being of members of the SAPS is a priority and all necessary measures are being put in place to ensure that our members are protected,” said spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza on Tuesday.
Two police constables, aged 29 and 36 years, were killed yesterday when robbers shot at them on the N3 highway.
One member died on the scene while another member died in hospital. Another member was injured during the N3 highway shooting incident and was taken to hospital.
Last Tuesday, another police was shot killed at Park Station in central Johannesburg.
The officer and his colleagues had been responding to a robbery at a local bakery. Police have attributed the killings to illegal firearms.
“We are busy recovering them from the criminals, but we can do much better with the assistance of the community,” said Kweza.
Just over the past two months, Kweza said they recovered 456 illegal firearms and charged suspects.
Kweza said a comprehensive strategy has been finalised and is being implemented to deal with police brutality.
Among the issues the strategy talks to are continual situational awareness of the members, training and utilisation of personal safety gear.
“This new strategy is very important particularly at this time when the police have declared war against crime in the country and in Gauteng in particular.
“Through crime intelligence information, our members are out there in the streets to ensure that criminals are arrested. It is during these confrontations that our members are attacked,” said Kweza. – SAnews.gov.za
