Police minister Bheki Cele has acknowledged that there's room for improvement in his department.
The Minister concluded a two-day oversight visit to some of the crime hotspots in Gqeberha this weekend and visited police stations in New Brighton, Chatty, Gelvandale and Kwazakhele.
Gqeberha has been the crime scene of some brutal killings in recent months, with one of the most recent incidents that took place at a birthday party in Kwazakhele at the end of January when eight people were gunned down.
Cele visited the area in early February following the bloodbath.
The minister said the aim of his visit this time was to improve service delivery at station level, intensify police visibility and improve response times.
He was joined by other high-ranking officials including Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale and the National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
Cele said the police have recommitted themselves “to do better”.
“I’m telling you, if we can just do what we are supposed to do [as police] life would be much better for everyone out there,” he said.
He also said crime intelligence needs a boost.
“One of the things we’re trying to do is to sharpen crime intelligence. Most of the operations that you’ll see here will be crime-intelligence driven.
Police management in each province must understand that crime multiplies on weekends and is in many cases in transit, our crime statistics show that some crimes are prevented through increased police visibility.
So it goes without saying that the time for sitting in air conditioned offices is over, commanders must walk with their members and ensure that while operational plans are implemented, they are at the forefront of nurturing community relations whilst they strengthen the connections between police and community policing structures.” concluded Cele.
