The National Commissioner of Police, Bheki Cele has applauded the special task force for an outstanding high level intervention that led to the swift release of hostages in about five minutes without opening fire at the Mangaung Correctional Centre outside Bloemfontein in the early hours of Tuesday, 3 November 2009.
This follows 14 hours of negotiations and hostage release exercise by the correctional facility, after the burning down of two prison cells at a private high security prison by a group of 25 dangerous prisoners who held three employees in hostage under extreme danger.
The prisoners were armed with an array of home made weapons, inclusive of porcelain shards from broken toilet seats, glass shards, sharpened broomsticks and a knife.
After all negotiations were exhausted without the release of the hostages, the special task force assisted by the Free State South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Combating unit intervened resulting in 25 prisoners being taken into custody. SAPS are investigating charges of kidnapping, robbery, malicious damage to property and arson.
“Police will continue to squeeze the space for criminals to zero. We will throw fear to criminals and bring confidence to communities. We will forever encourage police officers to act decisively in all crime combating operations and only open fire when under threat,” said Cele.
“The mere fact that a large group of prisoners armed with a variety of weapons and obviously hell bent on making mischief could be arrested without a shot being fired is testimony to the expertise and diligence of our officers,” said Cele.
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Nonkululeko Mbatha
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