Suspect dies in hostage drama
In the latest incident, a suspected robber was fatally shot by backup police at the Jane Furse Police Station on Monday night.
JANE FURSE – The Limpopo DA is concerned that rural police stations seem to have become soft targets for brazen criminals.
In the latest incident, a suspected robber was fatally shot by backup police at the Jane Furse Police Station on Monday night.
It is reported that the suspect disarmed a police officer and refused to surrender when backup arrived.
“Ipid is investigating the death of a suspect, allegedly at the hands of the police at the Jane Furse Police Station. It is alleged that the deceased entered the station on March 28 at about 20:00. He grabbed the firearm from the thigh holster of one of the officers who was busy executing his community service centre (CSC) duties. He held the police members hostage and threatened to kill them.
“The other members of the CSC unit were able to inform their counterparts about the hostage drama. A hostage negotiator was brought in together as well as members of the tactical response team for backup. The suspect refused to surrender himself upon request of the hostage negotiator. The tactical team entered the office where the suspect was firing shots and the police members retaliated,” said Ipid’s spokesperson, Lizzy Suping.
The deceased is unknown and was found to be in possession of used nyaope sachets and an injection. An inquest case was opened.
“The DA reiterates that our rural police stations are mostly under-resourced, under-capacitated and undertrained police officers with a poor crime intelligence network. Without increased resources, the Limpopo SAPS cannot expect a turnaround in the crime statistics or effectively protect themselves against brazen criminals and our communities will remain unsafe,” said the DA’s Katlego Phala.
