National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele says communities must root out the criminals among themselves before blaming the police for the high crime rate.Cele was speaking to the community of Pienaar, a trust area near Mbombela, Mpumalanga, which is notorious for its high level of criminal activity.
He was accompanied by provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela and a delegation from his office, as well as tribal chief Hlungu Nkosi.
"People live with and support criminals in their own homes. Some watch stolen TV sets that they have bought from criminals but still blame police for not doing their jobs.
"Deal with all the illegal shebeens and drug lords in your areas, and the people who harbour thugs overnight. You are the ones who can stop them from breaking into homes at night and robbing people going to work in the early hours of the morning," he said.
Cele also told the community that he did not want what he termed "criminals hiding in police uniforms" on his force.
"Since April this year, 79 police officials were arrested in Mpumalanga alone, which shows that this department does not harbour criminals," he said.
He told the community to act as whistle-blowers by reporting dishonest policemen.
SA - The Good News via BuaNews
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