1 887 GP police vehicles in repairs
JOBURG – Gauteng police couldn’t deny or confirm the Democratic Alliance's (DA) statement that Gauteng Community Safety MEC, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, has indicated that of 10 676 police vehicles, at least 1 887 are currently undergoing repairs.
DA Gauteng Provisional Leader and Legislature John Moodey said this means that about 20 percent of police vehicles in Gauteng are not operational, with another 1 560 scheduled for upcoming maintenance. Moodey said, “In addition to this, at least 6 044 vehicles have been scrapped over the past six financial years. He said the DA’s questions to Nkosi-Malobane were submitted in response to recent reports which highlighted the dire state of public order policing vehicles at the police station in Diepkloof.
He said the MEC further indicated that these vehicles were serviced by three main garages and 12 auxiliary garages. “During oversight visits to police stations in the province, many police officers have raised the issue of maintenance, indicating that minor repairs to their vehicles can take weeks in the government garages, forcing them to turn to private garages just to keep their vehicles on the road,” Moodey said.
He added that 1 877 vehicles out of action means 1 877 less opportunities to respond to incidents of crime or public disturbances. He said in a province with spiraling crime rates, this means that hundreds of residents may not receive the protection they deserve from the police.
“I will be requesting that the MEC reviews current maintenance policies, which may include major improvements to the current service garages or even building new ones. We cannot be in a situation where so many vehicles are out of action at one time,” Moodey said. He stated that the fight against crime will not wait while these vehicles are repaired and the people of this province should feel secure in the knowledge that there are always adequate resources to respond immediately to their safety needs.
This paper contacted the MECs office, but was referred to the provincial police department.
When asked to comment on these allegations, Gauteng police provincial spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said, “There are vehicles at our garages that are being repaired, but citizens should not be alarmed as normal policing continues. All police stations in Gauteng are divided into clusters that support each other in terms of crime prevention and resources.”
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