Chairperson, while appreciating the good work done by the police, as alluded to by the Minister and the Deputy Minister, Cope would like to give the following suggestions and guidance.
I will focus mainly on the police killings, without repeating the speeches made by other hon members. Let us look back at what happened to the relationship between the police and the community. Can we think about the time when we started - that people were beginning to say hhayi iphoyisa, hhi hhi yinja hhi hhi uyafa [no to the police; they are dogs because people die at the hands of the police]!
That was where the relationship ended. Now, as the ruling party or the government of the day, we should sit down and try to look back and see what went wrong and where.
During my time I tried to get hold of the directorate on police safety and that person's duty was to analyse all the police killing incidents. Let us do this now, as I am suggesting; let us have what we call "adopt a cop". At present it is only in schools, but what about churches and other departments, so that they can mobilise the community?
The national commissioner and the Minister are doing a very good job by visiting the police, but they hardly ever visit the community to cement the relationship between the police and the community so that fatal incidents are minimised. We do not want to point fingers.
Think back to the time when General Bheki Cele was getting married. He went there in uniform - it is allowed - in order that youngsters can also learn from that and know that if you are a police officer you can marry in your regalia. During graduation, you are allowed to wear your uniform and by doing so you build up a relationship.
In Iraq a child in preschool used to know the whole structure of the government; what about in our country? The police must, time and again, go to the schools and even to churches and during funerals. They must go in uniform so that the people will see that they are supporting them. Then the killings will be minimised. Minister, we are making this call. What I am saying is valuable. I thank you.