KZN Police Commissioner pays tribute to officers killed in the line of duty
A total of nine police officers lost their lives in the line of duty.
South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in formation. Picture: X/SAPoliceService
CAPE TOWN - KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on Friday paid tribute to police officers killed in the line of duty in the last financial year in the province.
Mkhwanazi used the Excellence Awards ceremony to honour the fallen heroes.
The ceremony celebrates outstanding police officers who executed their duties optimally in Durban.
A total of nine police officers have since lost their lives in the line of duty.
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Several KwaZulu-Natal police officers nominated for the Excellence Awards gathered at the Durban ICC.
Mkhwanazi took to the podium to remember their fallen heroes, noting that most of them died at the hands of criminals.
“Seven were shot at by criminals and they died, one member died when he was trying to escape danger and trying to take cover from the heavy gunfight and he fell into a ditch, and he broke his neck...the other was hit by a truck when attending to a road accident.”
A standing ovation from officers at the ceremony served as a symbolic honour of their fallen colleagues.
Mkhwanazi further urged the women and men in blue not to hesitate to defend themselves from criminals.