South Africa still has approximately 20 000 fewer police officers than 13 years ago, but there is progress in the right direction with the training and appointment of more officers, according to police minister, Bheki Cele.
Cele said that there were about 195 000 police officers in 2010, as opposed to the current 176 000 that need to protect the country’s population of 60 million people.
He mentioned that it is important that more police officers, and more resources, are acquired since the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro’s brand-new police station cannot become a white elephant.
Cele made these remarks during a visit to the Bay on Friday, when he attended the official handover of the Chatty Police Station. This area, in the northern areas of the metro, is known for gang violence and was the site for huge unrest about four years ago, when residents claimed their own police station to fight crime in the area.
Residents of Chatty and Booysens Park, which have experienced a population explosion, argued that the surrounding police stations do not provide the necessary support.
Cele promised them that this new police station would open in October 2019, but when the due date arrived the grounds were only just cleared for foundations to be laid.
Cele said on Friday that several delays were experienced due to dissatisfaction in the community about the build and purchasing of materials that were initially not done locally.
Considering the crime statistics of the adjacent Bethelsdorp Police Station, Cele expects a lot of crime will also be reported at Chatty Police Station.
He ordered police officials to patrol the community, and locate and apprehend criminals.
He once again referred to the six police officials murdered in the country during the month of May, three in the Eastern Cape, and said police officials must behave more decisively. “Don’t ask too many questions and don’t wait for criminals to teach you how to shoot,” Cele said to police officials.
In reaction to the opening of the police station, community activist and member of the Human Rights Commission’s monitor group, Christian Martin, said that he is ecstatic about the additional police station, especially in an area where gang violence is rife and people have started taking the law into their own hands.
According to Cele, the Chatty Police Station has a manpower shortage but is being supported by the anti-gang unit temporarily stationed there.
He emphasised that police had received additional funding from national treasury to appoint 10 000 recruits in the current financial year, in addition to the more than 10 000 police officers trained in the 2022/23 financial year.
The Eastern Cape received 1 000 of these officials, and the province will receive 1 200 from the new group of recruits.
“We are not there yet, but we are moving in the right direction,” said Cele.
