Vehicle shortage leaves Pretoria police stranded! Members of the national Public Order Police in Pretoria cannot fulfil their duties because there are not enough vehicles.
Several police officers yesterday confirmed that they had been unable to work effectively for several years because of a lack of cars. They said management was aware of the problem, but nothing had been done.
“We are failing to perform our tasks, especially the secondary task of crime prevention, because we don’t have enough vehicles at our base,” one officer told The Citizen.
‘We are failing to perform our tasks’ – police officers
“When we asked the management, they told us there are no cars available as some are attending to serious crimes while others have broken down and need to be taken to the workshop.
“These people have been telling us the same thing for more than a year. Every day we come here to relax and go home.
Vehicle shortage
“We have about 60 members in our unit and about 40 of us don’t go out to work,” a police officer said, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“It is a very stressful situation. I have experienced this for approximately a year, but those who came before us said this has been happening for many years.
“According to the law, primarily we are tasked to deal with riots, but if there are no protests, we should go out and do crime prevention-related jobs.”
The officer said what aggravated his pain was that when they applied for transfers from the Rosslyn base, management did not respond. “I can’t take it any more.”
‘I can’t take it any more’
A senior officer at the base said there were times when members of the unit failed to attend to criminal activities in their policing area due to a lack of vehicles.
“If I am not mistaken, this is the third year the situation has been like this at this base.
“This is a serious matter; we have young officers who are energetic and ready to serve the public, but they never get to respond to any criminal activities. They are stressed,” said the senior officer.
Police department spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi said: “The SA Police Service remains committed to ensuring that all its units are fully equipped to perform their duties effectively.
“We are working towards resolving operational challenges. The minister will be convening a meeting with the top management of the Saps in early February, where such issues will be addressed.”
Chad Thomas, an organised crime investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations, expressed grave concern about the apparent lack of essential resources.
Lack of essential resources a grave concern
“South Africa has some of the highest crime statistics in the world. Our population is at over 60 million people, with around 180 000 police officers, of which around 150 000 are on the so-called front line,” he said.
Thomas said considering the high levels of crime, SA does not have sufficient police officers, and it was concerning that the limited number of police officers there did not have critical resources, such as vehicles, to carry out their duties.
He added that at station level and in detective services, there was also a shortage of usable vehicles.
“Crime is a national threat to South Africa and should be treated as such. We cannot allow our police officers to be inadequately equipped.”
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union leader Richard Mamabolo said the shortage of vehicles was a long-standing issue that had an adverse impact on service delivery.
“It mainly has to do with budget cuts and the allocation prioritisation of the Saps.
Budget cuts
“Gauteng, according to last year’s reports, has been the most affected and the union has been taking the matter up with the authorities.”
SA Police Union (Sapu) in Gauteng secretary Jabulile Mabaso said unit members have been working, but they were underresourced.
“Sapu is in talks with the Saps management to try and see how best the members can be capacitated with more vehicles.”
Criminologist Mike Bolhuis said the situation was dangerous because criminals could take advantage.
He said if it continues, “it will break the police’s spirit and their morale. The affected officers must feel free to contact me. I will advise them on how to address the matter properly.”
