Concern about the high number of killings of suspects by police in KwaZulu-Natal has been expressed by a former assistant commissioner of the SAPS, Johan Burger.
He said KwaZulu-Natal had more police killings than Gauteng, which had double the number of ""aggravated robberies"".
It was unusual, he said, that a province with double the number of aggravated robberies should have fewer suspects shot by police.
Burger, who is now a senior researcher with the Institute for Security Studies, made these comments when taking part in SAfm Radio's After Eight Debate on the factors contributing to attacks on police and on the killing of crime suspects.
He said a recent police report showed that three provinces were more inclined to use violence against suspects than the others.
""KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape stood out, as those provinces combined were responsible for most killings of suspects,"" he said.
Burger said, in reply to a question, that there had been cases where police had used excessive force, but these things could not be looked at in isolation.
""Criminals have become increasingly dangerous and act with complete disregard for our laws and we must expect the police to react.""
He said a combination of factors had given rise to the high number of shootings involving the police and suspects.
""Firstly, there is the psychological effect the high number of police killings have on police officials,"" he said. ""They live in constant fear of their lives and know they should take the necessary precautions.
""Secondly, there is the fact that criminals are increasingly well armed - that includes sub-machine guns - and they act in fairly large numbers, and they have shown a complete disrespect for the police and are prepared to attack the police.
""Also, there is the general high level of crime in this country. All these things need to be taken into account when we assess the level of suspects killed by the police.""
The police's head of Media Relations, director Phuti Setati, said the number of SAPS members killed was highest in KwaZulu-Natal.
The number killed in South Africa between January 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007 was 139, he said. In the past financial year 118 had been killed. ""Even one police killing is to us too many.""
Setati said the police were dealing with criminals who were heavily armed. ""In a shoot-out you have to ensure that as police you are on top.""
A third member of the debating panel, Mzimkulu Fatman, a clinical psychologist, spoke of the days of ""ubuntu"" when the ""you"" was more important than the ""I"".
""The 'I' seems to have taken over and become more important to the individual,"" he said.
Fatman said there was an underdevelopment of the personality in modern society.
""Almost it is the state in which the ego is not developed. We were better off in the days of ubuntu than we are in these days of industrialisation.""
He said police brutality became a danger when society became degenerate.
""The police are triggered to do certain things by society ? If the police are brutal, so is our society brutal,"" he said.
- This article was originally published on page 9 of The Daily News on October 28, 2008