Johannesburg - Officers at Bekkersdal Police Station are unable to respond timeously to calls to attend to murder scenes, hijackings, armed robberies and other serious crimes because of a shortage of vehicles.
An officer, who wants to remain anonymous, said this has negatively impacted service delivery and hampers their ability to do their work.
“Bekkersdal is a crime-ridden area, but we don’t have enough cars. Our vehicles are old and they always have mechanical problems. A lot of criminals go unpunished because we can’t respond on time. The community blames the police. They think we are ineffective.”
His comments come just a few days after the DA’s shadow MEC for community safety, Michael Shackleton, revealed that 1 407 police vehicles in Gauteng were out of service.
Shackleton said this was confirmed by Police Minister Bheki Cele in a written parliamentary reply.
There are 4 374 operational vehicles at Gauteng police stations; 1 407 are out of service and broken cars consist of 95 from support, 802 from visible policing and 510 for detectives, Cele told Parliament.
“The lack of adequate police vehicles hampers police service delivery and puts the safety of the Gauteng residents at risk as police officers will not have enough vehicles to ensure police visibility and prevent crime,” said Shackleton.
Gauteng police spokesperson Mavela Masondo confirmed there was a shortage of vehicles adding that the situation has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The contributing factor to the crisis is the unavailability of vehicle parts. Most dealerships operated on minimal staff during the lockdown.
“We can confirm that police in Gauteng encountered a backlog in terms of urgent repairing and servicing of cars during the lockdown period,” Masondo said.
He added that management was currently dealing with the situation.
Meanwhile, residents of Bekkersdal believe their lives are in danger because of lack of police visibility and slow response to emergency situations. They said this has been happening for years.
Eight residents spoken to, confirmed that there was a lack of services from police in the area.
Siya Xulu said this was a concern because crime is rife in the area.
“I once went to the police station to report a case of robbery and I was told to drop my address because there were no vehicles. They took almost three hours before they came. People are being robbed of their belongings almost everyday,” he said.
While Mthokozisi Nyembe said the situation was dire.
“Last week people were shot and killed by criminals in this area. The same happened last month. This is because police are not patrolling here,” he complained.
A man who only introduced himself as Morgan, also echoed the same sentiments saying he only sees a police vehicle “twice in a week”.
“As residents we are not safe. We are afraid to walk on the streets. I have seen people being robbed.”
Crime expert at the Institute for Security Studies Johan Burger said police were struggling with vehicle shortages because they are on the road 24/7, and police drive at high speed and in difficult terrain.
“Any vehicle in these circumstances will develop mechanical and other problems. Secondly, all police vehicles are supposed to be inspected at least on a weekly basis to ensure that they are still fit for duty.
“These are indications that these inspections are ignored,” said Burger, adding members were reluctant to report problems or arrange for a regular service for fear of losing the use of the vehicle for days, let alone weeks or months.”
Sunday Independent