JMPD management to engage with SAPS over brewing tensions between members

JOHANNESBURG - Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) management is set to engage its counterparts at the South African Police Service (SAPS) over brewing tensions among members. 

Earlier this month, JMPD officers staged a protest outside their headquarters following the killing of one of their own at the hands of the SAPS.

JMPD officer Nombulelo Mthimkhulu was shot dead by one of three police officers outside her home in Dobsonville, Soweto, after police tried to arrest her son for reckless and negligent driving. 

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JMPD insiders claim management is preparing a case to present to SAPS over several incidents in which their members have engaged in a confrontation with their counterparts in blue.

Crime expert, Dr Guy Lamb, said in most incidents, the tension was political. 

"Part of the problem is often there are tensions between the city’s structure, the safety and security committees and SAPS management and so often there is political conflict that emerges."

Lamb believes the big personalities in SAPS and metro policing departments result in clashes, spilling over onto operational members.