POPCRU to host national summit to address police killings in South Africa
POPCRU is set to convene a critical national summit to address the alarming rise in police killings.
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The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has announced plans to convene a national summit on police killings, describing the continued attacks on law enforcement officers as a “senseless slaughter” that demands urgent national attention.
In a statement issued after its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting held last week, POPCRU said preparations for the summit were under way, although the date had not yet been confirmed.
The gathering, it said, would bring together key stakeholders to address the growing number of police officers killed in the line of duty.
“The recent Port Shepstone incident, where both a retired police officer and a serving member were brutally murdered, stands as a stark and painful reminder of the dangerous conditions under which our officers operate,” the union said. “These brutal killings are not isolated incidents; they form part of a broader pattern of violence that undermines the morale, safety, and integrity of the policing profession.”
In the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast incident, a police officer and a former officer were shot dead earlier this week in Mthwalume while at the home of another former officer.
The trade union said the planned summit will not be a symbolic gesture but must serve as a turning point in how South Africa confronts the crisis of police safety.
It intends to work with the Ministry of Police, SAPS management, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), civil society, and community structures “to ensure that this platform delivers practical, lasting solutions.”
The union said discussions would focus on the “proliferation of illegal firearms, poor resourcing of police units, inadequate training, unsafe working conditions, and the emotional and psychological toll faced by officers on the front line.”
POPCRU added that the state must “treat the killing of police officers as an attack on the sovereignty of the Republic of South Africa,” calling for suspects in such cases to be “charged with high treason or equivalent serious offences.”
It also called for “an urgent review of the Criminal Procedure Act and all related laws or operational directives that hinder police officers from acting decisively when confronted by armed and violent criminals.”
“No police officer should lose their life due to hesitation in a moment of danger stemming from fear of legal repercussions,” POPCRU said.
The union said the summit’s outcomes must go beyond statements, producing “actionable resolutions that result in a safer environment for officers, a reinvigorated justice system, and a renewed sense of trust between law enforcement and the public.”