Top honours for men and women in blue

JOHANNESBURG - The men and women in blue were honoured for keeping South Africans safe, cracking cases and those who went the extra mile.

The SAPS National Excellence Awards took place on Friday to recognise the South African Police Service's workforce, reservists, and community policing structures.

The awards coincided with the release of the quarterly crime statistics - which painted a grim picture of crime in the country, particularly murder and attempted murder.

* Theodor Mashele filed this report.