KwaZulu-Natal police are hamstrung by resources and apartheid spatial planning, rendering them open to corruption, unable to do their crime-fighting jobs and vulnerable to being killed.
That’s according to top provincial police and community safety heads who briefed members of the national council of provinces (NCOP) at the provincial legislature on Tuesday.
The parliamentary members are on a week-long mission to the province, visiting police stations that record a high number of crimes. These include Manguzi in northern KZN, Plessislaer near Pietermaritzburg and the Montclair, Inanda and Bellair stations within the greater Durban area.
KZN commissioner Lieut-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi described the rise in police killings in the province as “unacceptably high’’, after the killing of three officers on the North Coast on Sunday morning.
“There are a lot of murders. On the N3 the police officers saw a suspicious vehicle while patrolling. The vehicle stopped and the driver came out and without any warning they started shooting at the police. They shot a police officer dead just for trying to stop their vehicle,” said Mkhwanazi.
He said though the police officer had a bullet proof vest, he wasn’t wearing headgear.
In some cases community members have to hire a car if they want to do a simple thing such as certify documents. This is because most of the police stations were built to protect the white farmers.
— KZN commissioner Lieut-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
Investigations of high-profile killings in the taxi industry or of politicians, had revealed that police officers were sometimes involved, Mkhwanazi said.
“It is easy cash, and that’s where there is a lack of supervision and controls within the transport sector. It is a large contributor to murders in the province,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal community safety and liaison MEC Peggy Nkonyeni said the NCOP visit came after police minister Bheki Cele’s visit in early March.
Cele’s visit prompted the department to speedily implement the recommendations aired regarding police stations. She said the poor state of building infrastructure of some of the stations was worrying.
“Police station buildings are rapidly dilapidating and a strong view is that the function be dissolved to provinces instead of the national public works department,” said Nkonyeni. They also found police stations without CCTV cameras and highlighted the shortage of vehicles.
“Some of the vehicles are old, have high mileage and should not be on the road,” said Nkonyeni.
Mkhwanazi said another challenge linked to the welfare of police officers was corruption, a result of the money that flows around in relation to police benefits.
“Considering what police officers earn in relation to their benefits, it is easy to be corrupted,” said Mkhwanazi.
The issue of discipline also continues to be a challenge for the police fraternity. He cited the case of an intoxicated police official, in uniform and carrying a service pistol, who had to be assisted by a member of a public.
“He was helped by a young girl and we have only recently suspended the officer,” said Mkhwanazi. The delay was due to labour law provisions.
Mkhwanazi said they were unable to cope with the environmental design of the Inanda and Plessislaer policing precinct. This was also an issue in the sprawling township of uMlazi, where five youths were recently killed.
“The terrain was difficult and we had to get the help of the search and rescue unit to pull the bodies out because the mortuary officials were unable to,” said Mkhwanazi.
The province is expected to send about 1,200 police trainees to college. They expected to complete their training by the end of the year.
“Unfortunately, by the time they graduate, we will have lost at least 2,000 police who will have retired. The government system encourages early retirement,” said Mkhwanazi.
He pleaded with communities to wage a war against crime.
He said through the help of a community member, they had managed to apprehend a criminal linked to a recent high-profile robbery in Johannesburg.
“Successes like these emphasise the importance of working with the public,” he said. He added that in the past five years crime statistics had gone down, except contact crimes which include murder and rape.
Chairperson of the portfolio committee Ndodephethe Mthethwa expressed concern over the location of police stations in rural areas.
“In some cases community members have to hire a car if they want to do a simple thing such as certify documents. This is because most of the police stations were built to protect the white farmers,” said Mthethwa.
The ANC portfolio member said the state of policing in the province, painted a depressing picture. “It’s shocking that everything is centralised and disempowering to police members,” said Mshengu.
He likened some police stations to shacks, saying it was unfair that police members were expected to fight crime without the requisite support.
“It’s a shame. Most police officers are handcuffed thanks to the centralisation,” he said.
“Some police stations are shacks in the true sense of the word. No ablution facilities. If nothing is going to be done about conditions, we must forget the issue of fighting crime,” said Mshengu.
“We expect them to do wonders in these conditions. It’s a disappointment that the powers that be are unable to help,” said Mshengu.
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