Police Minister Bheki Cele officially opened the newly built Police Station in Chatty, Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape on Friday. This forms part of his bid to address the policing needs and to bring policing resources closer to communities.
As the rate of crime continue to rise, 13 new police stations will be built across the country. Community Police Forums have also been allocated money.
Although recent crime stats reveal that over 7000 people have been murdered between October and December 2022 in the country, the police ministry believes that such interventions are imperative in fighting the high crime rate.
Cele says an additional 10 000 recruits will be trained and join the police service at the end of this year.
“So we believe this is the step in the direction and we must be thankful to our President for this intervention to have more boots on the ground so as to avoid such facilities being white elephants and ensure that they are working well. So we do see a further integration of police in the system to make sure that police don’t stay in these police stations but work hand and glove with the community and squeeze the space for criminals,” explains Cele.
Allocated Funds
In a bid to get rid of crime in the country, funds have been allocated to build new police stations and for the assistance of Community Police Forums. The Minister elaborates:
“We have budgeted R70 million for CPF’s nationally, R6.5 million comes to this province, it’s a little bit of money, not much but it will help them to give them the tools of trade, cars as we have said and all that. Also, we have committed to open the 13th new police stations in the republic of South Africa. This is one of them it’s the first one, it’s the first one after the budget speech but also, we have put aside R8 billion to build the new police stations and upgrade that are there.”
Community members are grateful for the new police station, and are optimistic about more police stations being opened. Simphiwe Xhotyeni a member of the Community Police Forum from New Brighton area explains:
“I want to plea that the SAPS should work together closely with the CPF. We are grateful for the newly built police station in Chatty. We are saying even if in my area it hasn’t been opened but witnessing the opening of a police station in our region gives us hope that really more police stations are soon going to be opened in our areas.”
Although the community welcomes the intervention, many believe more can be done.
“We plead to your office minister to give fire arm amnesty and have a deadline so that those who have illegal fire arms must come forward and those who don’t you deal with them decisively,” says a community member.
The police service has also set aside another R30 million to convert trucks to mobile Community Service Centres. –Reporting by Sinethemba Witi
Cele allocates R1.8 billion to build 13 police stations:
