SAPS must ‘step up’ mental health checks after cop-on-cop shooting
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union has called on the South African Police Service management to prioritise mental health resources for its members.
It's after a police constable was arrested in connection with the murders of two fellow officers at a home in the Mbayimbayi area in Murchison on the south coast last week.
Both victims succumbed to their injuries at Murchison Hospital.
Ntombethemba Mgidi made her first appearance in the Port Shepstone Magistrate's Court on Monday.
Detectives believe the shooting was linked to a domestic dispute, after it was revealed that one of the officers was the father of her child.
READ: ‘Various reasons’ for massive drop in public trust in SAPS
POPCRU's national spokesperson Richard Mamabolo says the incident is deeply disturbing.
" This heartbreaking act of violence speaks to the growing need for SAPS to identify and intensify internal wellness and psychological support programs, and that helping members manage relational and emotional pressures.
"Popcru urges SAPS, management to prioritise mental health resources and support mechanisms for members, particularly given the demanding and often dramatic nature of their work."
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