Western Cape Community Safety Minister, Alan Winde, says Police Minister Bheki Cele‘s order for police to shut-down all illegal shebeens in the province, is unrealistic.
Speaking at an imbizo held at Thembalethu in George last Friday, Cele asked police to close all illegal liquor outlets within 48 hours.
He cited them as one of the major contributing factors to crime. There are over 25 000 illegal shebeens operating in the province.
Winde says there are many factors to consider before Cele’s order can become a reality.
“He does not realise we are understaffed in this province. He has got us at 4 500, too few police men and women in our province. Yes, we do have a problem with illegal alcohol being put into the system because alcohol leads to many crimes in our province. But the minister needs to understand that we need to have a much more holistic view and thats why we need to decentralise police decision-making to a provincial level so that we can make a impact in peoples lives in this province.”
