Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites as well as video by Ofentse Mokae MP.
- Police vehicles decrease by 433 over 5 years in the North West.
- No provincial police commissioner for over two years.
- The DA calls for the Acting Police Minister to act amid the policing void.
During a Parliamentary oversight visit to the North West this week, it’s been revealed that over the past five years, the number of working police vehicles in the North West has dropped by 433, leaving only one vehicle for every four police officers. While this ratio may translate to approximately one vehicle for every 2–3 members per shift, given standard crew allocations, it remains insufficient for effective policing across vast and rural areas. Furthermore, the province has not had a provincial police commissioner in over two years.
The DA will hold government accountable for policing failures in the province through meetings of the Security and Justice Committee in Parliament and lay these at the table of the Acting Police Minister when he appears in the NCOP.
These gaps are evident at the Hartbeesfontein, Coligny and Stilfontein police stations. Some of these stations service over 60 farms and formal dwellings. This severely hampers the police’s ability to deal with criminal activity and elements in their areas. The Hartbeesfontein station is severely impacted, operating with gaps such as:
94 (50%) of current business units do not have sufficient accommodation for the required personnel;
26 (38%) of the available 69 cell complexes are not in a working condition;
45% of current business units are not linked to a back-up generator during power outages;
14% of current business units do not have access to running water;
The DA is deeply concerned by these serious policing gaps, heightening the rise of crime in the Matlosana area during the Parliamentary oversight of the province this week.
What is aggravating the situation is that the Tigane Satellite Police Station which was intended to alleviate the pressure from Hartbeesfontein SAPS was vandalised by the community during protests in 2017. To this day nothing has been done to address this situation.
The residents of North West deserve safety, stability, and reliable service delivery. We will not relent until this crisis is addressed.