APA-Pretoria (South Africa) At least 22 South African police officers were killed during the last three months of 2023, the crack police unit Hawks has revealed.
Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya said 12 of the deceased officers were murdered in off-duty incidents while the other 10 were killed on-duty.
“An attack on a police official is an attack on the state, and the death of one police official, who is the protector of all the people in South Africa, is unacceptable,” Lebeya told journalists in Pretoria on Monday.
He said 12 people have been arrested in connection with the murders, with three already convicted and sentenced to lengthy jail terms. The remainder are awaiting trial.
The murder of police officers is an all-too-common story in South Africa, with announcing late last year that over 70 officers had been killed in the seven months to November 2023.
NM/jn/APA