Crime-fighting efforts hampered as police face vehicle repairs backlog
Aside from 124 police flying squad vehicles in Gauteng currently out of service there were more vehicles not working from other units. Some of these vehicles have not been working for over three months while it was indicated that it was yet unknown when they could be fixed.
Mounting backlog in repair of police motor vehicles has affected their visibility in communities and possibly hindering their main job of fighting crime.
Aside from 124 flying squad vehicles in Gauteng currently out of service, there were more vehicles not working from other units, police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said.
He said the department was faced with a backlog in repairs of vehicles which has seen more than half of the Pretoria flying squad vehicles grounded, some for over three months, due to mechanical and collision damages.
“Police can confirm that there are more flying squad cars in the garage for mechanical and repair, and additional cars from other units,” he said.
Makhubele said a system recently implemented in the repair department was one of the challenges affecting turnaround times.
“Police need cars out of the garage to continue fighting crime,” Makhubele said.
Although Makhubele could not say when the vehicles would be repaired and hit the ground running again, he said the department was working hard to get the cars back on the beat again.
“Yes, there is (a backlog) but we are working hard to improve the service in the garages.”
In November last year, about 1 407 police vehicles were out of service in the province, 261 of them in Tshwane. Then the most contributing factor was attributed to the unavailability of vehicle parts as most dealerships operated on minimal staff during the lockdown.
Whether this was also a contributing factor, Makhubele could not confirm.
The Gauteng MEC for community safety Faith Mazibuko revealed in a written reply to the DA in parliament that 124 out of 231 overall vehicles in the province were non-functional.
“There is no specific timeframe for finalisation of the vehicles,” Mazibuko said.
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She said most of the damaged vehicles in the province were being repaired at private facilities.
“Although it has a negative impact on police visibility, crime hotspots areas and highways are prioritised to ensure high visibility in these areas. In addition, deployment is conducted with metropolitan police departments to enhance police visibility,” she said.
DA Gauteng spokesperson for community safety Michael Shackleton said the vehicles could have been used to enhance police visibility during the recent incidents of violence and looting.
“This has also negatively impacted the work of the police flying squad, who were mostly deployed in crime hotspots areas. During the recent unrest, they could have assisted in preventing the people from looting and damaging malls and shops,” Shackleton said.
“The lack of an adequate number of vehicles hampers police service delivery and puts the safety of the residents of Gauteng at risk, leaving SAPS officers with fewer vehicles for visibility patrol.”
Shackleton said the inability of the department to provide a specific timeframe as to when the vehicles currently in for repairs would be returned was unacceptable.
“The SAPS must have a turnaround time as to when the vehicles will be fixed, based on the level of damages.”
According to the police, the flying squad was mandated to ensure a rapid response to priority or serious, violent crimes and serve as back-up for police stations during life-threatening circumstances.
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