Rubber bullets are here to stay but Police Minister Bheki Cele says police will be better trained in how and when to use them. The minister was releasing a report looking into policing and crowd control.
“It’s a standard operation that we are looking at. We have looked around, we’ve had more input from other organisations. We are not looking at cutting off and stopping it. I know that that call has been made,” Cele said.
“It’s the standard operation, it’s the training, and look at what shouldn’t be done. Things like distance: Where should you use rubber bullets, are you [police officers] using them directly, you should shoot down… these rubber bullets should be for scaring people off rather than hurting people. Close to R600-million has been used to better equip the Public Order Policing units. Cele said this is according to a recommendation by a panel of experts.
“A total of nearly R598-million has been spent in resourcing and capacitating of the Public Order Police unit. These units are equipped with tools of the trade such as two-way radios, loud hailers, video cameras, PA systems for ease of communication during operations,” Cele said.
” A total of 6,324 officers have been trained in numerous courses and found competent in crowd management. Officers in this unit have also been trained to use specialised equipment within the public order policing environment, including the use of water cannons and stun grenades.
New-generation water cannon driving workshops have been conducted to further equip and empower officers. All POP are trained in first-aid and each vehicle is equipped with a first-aid kit as per the expert panel recommendation.
In other news – Lebo Gunduluza Dumped again #RHOJ
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The two who have been fielding rumours that they separated since last year has decided to come clean and clear the air. Learn more
Source: eNCA
