Scaled back proposal on Metro cops tabled in NMB Council
01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author
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A scaled back proposal with regard to the establishment of a metro police service in Nelson Mandela Bay has been tabled in Council.
The Budget and Treasury Directorate has, however, raised concerns, stating that issues relating to the organogram such as grading and re-grading and all labour-related matters must be finalised.
In addition, it says the potential income must be assessed against the proposed expenditure involved in bringing an additional licensing centre into operation at Motherwell.
The directorate points out that the Municipal Finance Management Act states that the annual budget of a municipality “may only be funded from realistically anticipated revenues,” adding that the revenue projection for Traffic Services “should be adequate to cover the initial start-up costs”.
The latest proposal shows that Phase 1 of the establishment of the metro police will “place emphasis on ensuring that existing employees will be the foundation” of the service.
The total “additional” operating costs for the service for the 2014/15 financial year are put at R13.4 million, while a capital budget of R1.5 million will be required.
Against this, expected income in the next financial year from the new licens-ing centre at Motherwell is out at R10 million a year, or R5 million for the six months it will be operational in 2014/15.
Income from traffic fines is put at R10.9 million for the next financial year with a report to Council stating that a task team has been set up to increase traffic income that has already identified a number of interventions.
The report states that the long-term target is to have 1 000 municipal police officers in the metro “to ensure a more effective service,” adding that this is considered the “ideal and will only be considered on budget availability”.
It states that the first aim will be “to improve the current performance levels”.
Cuts to the initial proposals will see only minimum changes to the existing car markings and recruitment only started in 2015/16.
