WESTERN CAPE – The Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces have recorded some of the highest crime figures and continue to receive the most policing resources and funding to bring about peace and stability in the provinces. Minister of Police General Bheki Cele says the South African Police Service has to date, injected the most resources to the two provinces, compared to all other provinces countrywide.
This statement comes as Minister Cele on Friday 08 October 2021, addressed a Ministerial Imbizo hosted in Mitchells Plain in Cape Town. The community engagement saw residents of the area outline their demands and policing concerns to the Police Ministry and police management.
Many community members used the platform to discuss and engage the SAPS on the identified crimes such as child murders, kidnapping, gender based violence, gangsterism and drug abuse.
Minister Cele assured community members that their calls are not falling on deaf ears and availing resources and more officers to better police this township and all areas of the Western Cape are ongoing.
“We will never win this war if we don’t partner with communities, especially in this province, when we fail to work hand in glove as the provincial and national structures together with community structures, we will then fail the community.”
The Minister has conceded that more still and must be done to squeeze out criminality in Mitchells Plain, but emphasises that the Western Cape enjoys the lion’s share of policing resources aimed at addressing crime concerns raised by communities.
“Out of all the provinces, the province of the Western Cape is the most resourced over and above the allocated provincial budget. We have through our analysis of crime trends took decisions to set-up special operations such as the Anti-Gang Unit(AGU), there has also been the introduction of Special operations like Operation Thunder and Operation Lockdown and a task teams investigating extortion and taxi violence. Many of these interventions are unique to this province and are producing results, communities can agree that life may not be perfect but it’s certainly improving since they were established.”- concluded Cele.
The Police Ministry has noted that during the course of this year, two hundred extra police officers have been redeployed from various provinces and directed to the Western Cape, to assist policing in the province. Since 2018, over 350 million rand has also been utilised by the South African Police Service on special operations in the Western Cape province.
Source: South African Police Service