GEN VAN DER MERWE
Mr Chair I don't think it's possibleor at least it is highly unlikely.  South Africa would have beenmuch worse off than it is now.  If it had happened that the ordinarypolice officer would have been
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under the impression that he could simply act as he pleased tocounteract the offensive then things would have been far worsethan these cases now at hand.  One must not just try and gaina general impression because in every area circumstances weredifferent.  Every individual acted under specific circumstancesand because of a variety of factors each individual had certainunique perceptions.  One cannot generalise that there was instructionsfrom the State Security Council which gave the instruction thatthe security forces were able to act beyond the limits of thelaw but positions might have been taken, emotional statementsmight have been made or other circumstances might have existedso that the ordinary officer who existed under circumstances wheremurder and violence had to be dealt with everyday that the impressionmight have been gained by the ordinary officer that he could doanything to carry out this task.