KZN police instructed to arrest law-breaking protesters

KwaZulu-Natal police are fed up with violent protesters.

The provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni has given strict instructions to the Public Order Policing Unit to arrest protesters, who break the law.

"Investigative aids will to be utilised to gather evidence during such protect activities to enable detectives to open cases and effect arrests at a later stage should it not be possible to effect immediate arrests," KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker said yesterday.

Naicker said police officers are called on a daily basis to monitor several protest marches and picketing in the province.

"This places a great strain on police resources and forces us to remove police officers from Crime Prevention Operations to police these protest actions due to the lawlessness that prevails at some of these protest activities".

"Whilst picketing individuals resort to blocking the roads with boulders, burning tyres and other objects. We have also had cases where picketers have stoned vehicles and assault innocent members of the community," he explained.

Ngobeni said while police respected the right to protest, they could not condone the illegal activities that took place during demonstrations.

"Protesters should also not infringe on the rights of innocent members of the public who are usually effected by protest action,” she said.