Cape Town - Following a spate of seven murders in and around Grassy Park over the last month, the Community Safety Committee in the legislature has pinpointed the issue of police shortages in the area.
The committee conducted an oversight visit to the police station last week, where their engagements uncovered the number of officials stationed at the Grassy Park station.
Committee chairperson Reagen Allen said there are 116 officers at the station. He said that was in contrast to the information provided to them through a parliamentary reply, in which police indicated there are 160 officials.
Allen said the shortage of policing resources has contributed to 31 detectives for Grassy Park carrying a case load of about 250 dockets each.
“Similarly, the police to population ratio is approximately 1 379 residents per police officer. This an extremely heavy burden for which both residents and the police officials bear the brunt,” said Allen.
He said during their visit they met with the metro police and welcomed their engagement with the Anti-Gang Unit for an operational plan in the area.
“We also welcome the City’s support for the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (Leap) roaming deployment,” he said.
Grassy Park Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Melvin Jonkers said if the DA visited the station and discovered there was a shortage of resources, they must now ensure the resources are obtained.
Jonkers claimed there are no metro police officers nor law enforcement officers in the area. He said the CPF was not invited and the station was not properly informed about the visit of the oversight visit.
Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the response from provincial police commissioner Thembisile Patekile to a question in Parliament that the staff complement at Grassy Park police station was 160 was accurate at the time.
Traut said the current staff complement was 157 and not 116 as indicated by Allen. Those figures had a tendency to fluctuate due to a number of unforeseen reasons such as retirement, resignation and death.
Allen said for the previous financial year (2019/2020), the police reported that it had 94.4% of its posts filled. That was short of its own national target of 98%.
“If we are to take seriously the prevention and tackling of crime, then the national minister of police must prioritise a well-resourced and properly trained police service,” he said.