By Yogas Nair
INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
(File photo) Photo: Mujahid Safodien
Durban - Police officers across the country are using social networks to plan a three-hour strike to highlight their anger at management and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
In KZN, police commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni was expected to convene an emergency meeting on Wednesday and has appealed for calm.
Policemen have expressed anger at how management and Ipid treat them when alleged criminals are shot dead, but do not do enough to prevent officers from being shot.
The three-hour strike will also be in memory of their fallen colleagues.
Ngobeni, who is out of town, said she would be asking senior officers to intervene this morning.
“This kind of thing is not allowed. It could have disastrous consequences. The concerns of the policemen are receiving attention by management.
“Everyone must remain calm. We will be speaking to policemen on the ground this morning to reassure them. They must let processes unfold. I give them my assurance that their concerns are not being ignored.”
The members have been alerted to the proposed three-hour stand down through social networking sites, including Facebook and BlackBerry Messenger.
One alert read: “A lot of police members have been shot and killed lately. Nothing has been done about this. No one seems to care about us. Police also have red blood, not blue blood.
“The police officers killed were fathers, sons, uncles, aunts and mothers. Most of them were breadwinners.”
It called for members to stop work for three hours on Monday, between 9am and noon.
“Enough is enough. It is also time that our unions do what they are being paid to do. Or we will form a breakaway union. We are gatvol,” the alert read.
Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute of Security Studies, said yesterday that if the stand down went ahead, it could have huge ramifications for management and crime.
He said legislation excluded any SAPS member from participating in strike action, and it should not be treated lightly.
“There are 157 000 functional police officers nationally. If the strike goes ahead, it would be a clear indication that members have no confidence in their leadership,” Burger said.
“It also shows they believe they are not being well taken care of by police management.”
He said the three hours of no work by police would also be an opportunity fully exploited by criminals.
“Management needs to avert this crisis urgently. They need to listen to members, especially in problem-plagued provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. They need to listen to their complaints and make sure they are fully investigated.”
The work-stoppage call was prompted by the killing of Detective Constable Ajith Krishanlal, during an armed robbery at a fast food outlet in New Germany on Friday night. His colleague, Constable Jerome Ngoma, was shot four times and is in a stable condition in hospital.
Their colleagues were incensed when Ipid investigators opened a murder docket after a police captain shot dead one of the suspects during the robbery.
They said the policeman was treated badly and no consideration was given to the fact that he had been traumatised by Krishanlal’s death.
While Ipid has denied the allegations, police officers who were at the scene are sticking to their claims.
A police source told the Daily News he was at the scene and witnessed first-hand what had transpired.
“This is just one big cover-up. Ipid has no respect for the police, and our management does care about our welfare. They should be fair and call for a full investigation to find out what really happened.”
The policeman said that while it was illegal for them to strike, they had had enough.
“We will sit in our offices and police cars and do nothing for three hours. It is the only way to get management’s attention,” he said. “It worries me that criminals will have a free rein in that time. But who worries about us?”
He criticised Ipid, saying it was not objective and fair.
“All they want to do is nail the cops,” the policeman said. “They also need to respect what we do. We are not inferior to them.”
Ipid spokesman, Moses Dlamini, said it was not desirable for tensions to exist between police and them.
“Our roles complement each other. Aggrieved members must not be afraid to raise concerns with our national or provincial structures.”
He said it was not Ipid’s policy to fight with police. - Daily News
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