Cape Town - Western Cape community safety MEC Reagen Allen has bemoaned the low number of deployed police officers, saying the ratio of police officers to people has grown over the last 20 years.
Allen said from April to December 2022, six police officers were killed in the line of duty, yet statistically in the last 20 years the national government had failed to deploy enough police officers to the province.
“I am at pains to point out that there is no appetite from national Police Minister Bheki Cele to address crime in the Western Cape, let alone our country.
Every day, men and women in the SAPS put their lives at risk to protect the citizens of our province and our country, yet they are not afforded the required support to do so effectively,” he said.
The shortfall may be attributed to the dire working conditions within which police officers operate, which include a lack of housing, unwarranted pay cuts and an unfair advantage created by private security companies.
“There isn’t anything specific that points to why some might prefer working for Law Enforcement, rather than SAPS. However, I’m of the view that people look at the manner in which the entities are being run.
“Residents also know they can trust Law Enforcement. Regrettably, there are many clouds hanging over SAPS and until these are addressed, the negative view will persist,” Allen said.
When asked about the high numbers of crimes reported in the province, Allen said: “Safety is a priority for the Western Cape government. This is part of the reason why we launched our safety plan and initiated Leap (Law Enforcement Advancement Plan).
“The national government is not prioritising safety in this province and we have to step up where they have failed, even though it is their mandate to do so.”