Police Minister Bheki Cele has admitted that there is a shortfall in service delivery in his department due to staff shortages. Cele was addressing police members during the provincial launch of Operation Phethisa in Bloemfontein.
Cele said from 2010 to date there has been a shortage of approximately 20 000 police officials.
More than 400 vehicles have been procured to assist with service delivery in various departments of the Free State province.
Police in the province have received 99 vehicles.
“Let me hasten to say unfortunately we don’t have enough warm bodies in South African Police Service. As I have given the figures to say 20 000 police down looking at the year of 2010. Though the president has given us some relief with the 10 000 that are at the college at the moment but here we are just bringing the equipment but it comes to policing, we talk about warm bodies not just the cars not just the IT but we are working towards that,” says Cele.
Free State provincial government says the more than 400 vehicles, some specialised, will be distributed to various government departments as part of the Operation Phethisa.
This is in response to the issues that were raised by residents of the Free State during the Presidential Imbizo earlier this year. Premier Sisi Ntombela says the aim of the operation is to provide quality services to communities.
“We are going to divide them but we are having mobile clinics. Those mobile clinics we are going to use them for rural areas especially on farms. Will make sure that the rural areas that don’t have ambulances, they must have ambulances, that’s why we are going to start with them first,” says Ntombela.
