The Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele has called on more community partnerships, as a way to promote a culture of accountability within the police service and improve service delivery.
Minister Cele was on Friday 12 November 2021, speaking at the official opening of the Hlogotlou police station situated in the Monsterlus area of the Limpopo province. Following the opening of the state of the art facility, Minister Cele also led a community Imbizo hosted in the Monsterlus area, which saw residents engage the Police Minister the Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale and SAPS top management, on the identified crimes plaguing the community
Monsterlus has a 70 percent unemployment rate and has recorded a high number of contact crimes such as murder, aggravated assault, rape and robbery.
Minister Cele told those gathered for the Imbizo hosted at the Monsterlus stadium, that a police station alone will not resolve crime.
“We can build the biggest police station, but it will be useless if it is not manned by officers who have strong ties with the residents they serve through organised community structures. It is through effective police community relations that citizens can learn about their roles in crime prevention and what to expect from the police. Equally the police can, through these partnerships, better understand communities they serve and put in place, suitable crime strategies to address their policing needs and crime concerns.” – Cele concluded.
The Police Ministry believes that communities who are active in the fight against crime are best positioned to demand accountability from their local police stations that fail to deliver on their policing mandates.
All police station related complaints can be directed to the Department for Civilian Secretariat for Police Service. The CSPS exercises civilian oversight on the governance, service delivery and resourcing of the SAPS.
Source: South African Police Service