THE police Tactical Respond Team, better known as amaberete in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district in the Free State have suffered unforgettable psychological trauma.
This follows the dramatic hostage where a husband held his wife and kids at gunpoint all night.
Amaberete were part of the commemoration of the World Trauma Day event at Tshiya College of Education in Phuthaditjhaba on Wednesday, 18 October.
District Commander Sergeant Kobedi described that particular hostage as a very traumatic incident in their presence as they were always fully armed, ready to protect life, but unfortunately, the husband fulfilled his mission of brutalising his wife before turning the gun on himself.
"One of our members got injured. We are experiencing trauma daily. Police management are not doing enough to provide psychosocial assistance to members in uniform," he said.
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Phuthaditjhaba acting station commander Colonel Mambidi Nkhato said the hostage incidents affected cops psychologically.
"The husband was very clever. He was calm, promising to release the hostages. The wife had on several times told us that the gun was on her head. Unfortunately, we didn't save her life," she said.
The World Trauma Day event was attended by police officers, health workers, social workers, teachers and other stakeholders responsible for emergency services.
The recently highlighted incidents by police included the Kestell farm massacre, the deadly Covid-19 Pandemic, the pitbulls bloodbath, the high rate of divorce, and suicides, which were part of the main topics.
