National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola says it cannot be business as usual when criminals have declared war on the police.

Masemola was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to the families of two police officers who were killed in the line of duty.

The two officers were transporting an awaiting-trial prisoner, Jabulani Moyo, from court to prison when they were ambushed in the Roodepoort CBD on Friday.

General Masemola says, “A lot of questions have arisen on whether the awaiting trial prisoner was handcuffed. It is standard procedure that all awaiting trial prisoners must be appropriately restrained and placed at the back of a van. On whether Moyo was handcuffed or not and why members were travelling in a sedan, all these questions are under investigation.”

Masemola visits families of murdered cops in Roodepoort CBD

“This criminal is very dangerous, do not approach him, he has no regard for life, and we are warning anyone who has information to come forward and not approach this killer,” he says, urging police officers to defend themselves whenever their lives are under threat.

“I am making this call again to all police officers in the country, do not die with the tools and resources that we have given you. The men and women in blue must act appropriately when circumstances allow them to act. Remember to always use force that is proportional to the threat. I plead with you, do not let your guard down, always be a step ahead of these criminals to ensure the safety and security of the people of this country.”

Their service pistols were stolen. Moyo was seen driving off in the officer’s unmarked vehicle, which was later found abandoned a few kilometres from the crime scene.

Manhunt

A multidisciplinary team has been deployed to hunt down the alleged cop killer, and the search has intensified since police announced a reward of R150 000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.

51-year-old Vuyisile Sintwa and 45-year-old Simon Masenye are the two officers who were gunned down in the line of duty.

Sintwa’s family says they were shocked to find out about the tragedy in the media.

Police are piecing together the sequence of events that led to the death of the officers. However, they manage to recover a pair of leg irons in the vehicle that was used to transport Moyo.

Moyo, who is believed to be a foreign national, is said to be armed and dangerous. Police have pleaded with the public to not engage with the suspect.

Sintwa and Masenya are two of the three police officers who were killed in the past 24 hours. Twenty-seven men and women in blue were killed in the line of fire in the last financial year.

VIDEO | Two policemen shot and killed, prisoner escapes