MP Michael Waters claimed Edenvale, Sebenza, Kempton Park and Norkem Park police stations are “buckling under pressure due to being chronically under-resourced”.
Waters said visible policing units in the precincts do not have enough personnel nor vehicles to operate at peak efficiency.
He said the recent announcement by finance minister Tito Mboweni to defund the police by R5.85-billion will affect these units even more.
“The bulk of the amount, R3.64-b, will come from visible policing.”
Edenvale
Waters said Edenvale Police Station only has two vehicles to patrol its four sectors.
“Each sector should have two vehicles operating 24 hours a day. This puts the shortage of vehicles at 75 per cent.
“Furthermore, a minimum of 64 sector officers are needed, divided into four shifts, to meet minimum standards of having eight vehicles in the field at any given time.
“There are only 24 sector officers at the station, resulting in a shortage of 62.5 per cent.”
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Sebenza
He claimed Sebenza Police Station experienced a similar problem.
“Sebenza only has three vehicles for four sectors, resulting in a shortage of five vehicles or 62.5 per cent.
“The shortage of sector officers at Sebenza is even worse than Edenvale.”
Waters said the station only has 16 sector officers when it too should have 64 to patrol the sectors.
He said the lack of officers leaves Sebenza with a 75 per cent shortfall.
“Visible policing is a crucial frontline service that not only deters would-be criminals but also improves response times to emergencies,” said Waters.
“Residents of Edenvale have, for far too long, been sent to the back of the queue where services are concerned.”
Kempton Park
Waters said Kempton Park Police Station has three vehicles only for sector policing for its six sectors.
He added the demand for two vehicles per sector results in a shortage of vehicles of 75 per cent.
“In addition, a minimum of 96 sector police are needed, divided into four shifts, to meet minimum standards of having 12 vehicles in the field at any given time.
“There are only 41 sector police officers at the station, resulting in a shortfall of 55 sector policing officers. There are more vacant positions for sector policing than the number currently doing the work,” said Waters.
Norkem Park
“Similarly, Norkem Park Police Station has six sector vehicles to cover its four sectors, being short by two sector vehicles.
“Norkem Park should have 64 sector police officers but only has 32, which would require a doubling of its sector police officers, if they are to meet minimum standards.
“It is unacceptable that crucial frontline services such as sector policing are being hindered in such a manner prior to the defunding taking effect. As a frontline service, sector policing not only deters would-be criminals from committing a crime, it also improves response times to emergencies,” said Waters.
Gauteng SAPS comment
Gauteng SAPS head of corporate communication Brig Mathapelo Peters said the issues raised by Waters are not unique to the police stations.
She said they are occurring at stations across the province.
“The management of the SAPS in Gauteng has acknowledged the province is experiencing a backlog in terms of urgent repairs and servicing of vehicles,” said Peters.
“One thousand four hundred and seven police vehicles in Gauteng are out of service.”
She said the lockdown impacted SAPS’s access to tools, spare parts and businesses such as mechanics.
“The lockdown also saw police minister Gen Bheki Cele suspend the 2020 trainee intake,” said Peters.
“At least 5 000 trainees would have undergone basic police training at various SAPS academies across the country.”
Peters said because of the impact of lockdown, it should not be surprising that the SAPS and some stations in Gauteng would be adversely affected.
“Our multi-disciplinary approach and partnerships with private stakeholders assisted SAPS to bridge the gap and provide service delivery,” Peters said.
“Now that more businesses in the private sector are operational, SAPS management is hard at work to remedy the situation, to ensuring the safety and security of the residents of Gauteng.”
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