SAPS says Kempton Park station has resources despite DA concerns

Ekurhuleni SAPS district spokesperson Captain Neldah Sekgobela has assured the DA that the Kempton Park Police Station has adequate resources to provide policing services, despite the party’s concerns about vehicle shortages.

This follows an article published by the Kempton Express on October 9, in which the DA highlighted its findings from an oversight visit to the station.

The party said the lack of vehicles made it increasingly difficult for officers to ensure community safety.

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According to the DA, the detective branch currently has 54 detectives and 12 crime officers who share 26 vehicles, collectively handling a total of 6 744 cases.

This translates to an average of 102 cases per detective, a workload the party described as “unrealistic and unsustainable.”

Michael Waters, MPL and DA Kempton Park Constituency head, said the precinct has six policing sectors and should ideally have two vehicles patrolling each sector 24 hours a day. However, he said the current situation is far from ideal.

“Due to the lack of vehicles, there are currently only three sector vehicles patrolling two sectors each,” Waters explained. “These same vehicles must also respond to between 30 and 40 complaints during a 12-hour shift.”

Ward 91 Clr Desmond McKenzie echoed these concerns, saying the shortage of vehicles and high caseloads have left both officers and residents under strain.

“As local councillors, we are deeply concerned about the severe lack of resources at the Kempton Park Police Station,” said McKenzie.

“With too few vehicles and overworked detectives, visible policing in our communities has been severely affected. This shortage puts both residents and officers under immense pressure.”

The DA stated that effective policing depends on taking local circumstances into account and ensuring a fair distribution of resources, something they believe has not happened in Kempton Park.

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The party has pledged to raise the matter at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, calling for the station and community to be properly resourced.

In response, Sekgobela said the SAPS could not share operational information regarding the station but maintained that Kempton Park SAPS is equipped to deliver services.

“Kempton Park has six sectors. The station does have the resources to render service delivery, conduct patrols and attend to complaints,” she said. “Unfortunately, we are not at liberty to provide operational information such as deployments.”