A hostage situation at Ntuzuma Police Station involving a traditional healer has prompted calls for an investigation into police procedures, as community members express concerns over safety.
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Security experts have called for an investigation to determine whether police officers at Ntuzuma Police Station followed Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) when interviewing an inmate, an interaction that escalated into a hostage situation on Monday.
A 22-year-old male traditional healer brought the police station to a standstill when he held six officers hostage after disarming one of them in an holding cell at the station.
The inmate then fired shots at police officers, who scrambled for cover. He was eventually killed after police responded tactically.
It is believed the deceased’s move to overpower the officer was retaliation for his arrest over the weekend for allegedly attempting to kill a family member.
Willem Els, a security expert from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said police officers are required to adhere to stipulated SOPs in every operation.
Els was speculating about the officers entering the holding cell with a firearm.
He said there should be an investigation into whether officers followed these procedures during the Ntuzuma incident.
“For everything that is conducted by the police, there has to be a standard procedure. We must check if these police officers followed that,” Els said.
Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda explained that the officers who initially confronted the suspect were unarmed, while the officers who arrived later to assist were armed.
“Two police officers had confronted the suspect in the cells when he overpowered and began assaulting them after taking the keys to the main door from them.
“A call for backup was made, and when uniformed officers arrived to assist, the suspect grabbed a firearm from one of them and began firing shots as he locked them inside the cells.
“Police tactically took cover as the suspect continued firing shots,” Netshiunda said.
He explained that the backup officers had firearms because they were unsure whether the suspect was armed.
Netshiunda said the incident began around 8:30am when the suspect suddenly became aggressive and overpowered officers in the holding cells. Reports confirmed that the man began firing shots at officers, prompting them to take cover.
“Tactical police units intervened and fatally shot the suspect during the operation.
“Thankfully, no officers were shot. However, two officers sustained minor injuries and will receive psychological support,” he said.
Normal police services resumed at the station a few hours after the incident.
However, first-hand accounts from community members painted a contrasting picture of the events at the station.
Fikile Gumede, who was present when the incident occurred, said the chaos forced services at the police station to be halted.
“We were here early in the morning for various services, but we were not allowed in. We’ve been waiting outside since morning,” he said.
“I thought I was safe at the police station, but it turned out to be quite the opposite,” Gumede added.
It is believed the suspect went on the rampage when officers attempted to formally charge him.
Officers from private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) were among those who responded to the call for backup and were involved in the gun battle with the inmate.
Prem Balram confirmed that their teams found the situation critical upon arrival.
Some residents in the area, who spoke to the Daily News, questioned whether their local police station remained a place of safety following the incident.
DAILY NEWS