Police stations in Pretoria are among many across Gauteng set to receive a boost in crime-fighting capacity following the handover of new police vehicles aimed at improving visibility, response times, and overall service delivery.

The handover took place on Friday, December 19, at the Rigel Avenue off-ramp in Pretoria, where 162 vehicles were officially handed over to SAPS.

These vehicles included BMWs, bakkies, and sedans. They form part of a broader provincial rollout and will be distributed to various police stations across Gauteng.

Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale stated that the handover was part of the government’s commitment to continue serving communities despite the challenges facing policing in the country.

He said the event was a demonstration of that commitment in action.

“We are gathered here to take forward the commitment we made to the people of South Africa: that we will continue to serve them to the best of our abilities,” said Mathale.

He added that while policing faces various difficulties, service delivery would not stop.

According to Mathale, officers would continue to provide policing services, and the handover of vehicles was proof of that resolve.

“Despite the challenges that we are confronted with, policing work will continue to be provided by men and women in blue, and today we are here to bear testimony to that commitment,” he said.

He explained that the vehicles would be used across different components of the police, including visible policing, detectives, and the Tactical Response Team.

He noted that all SAPS components would benefit from the new resources, which he referred to as essential tools of the trade.

The minister emphasised that the handover was not a once-off event, but part of an ongoing process to equip police officers.

He explained that the vehicles were being distributed across Gauteng and its municipalities to strengthen policing at the station level.

Mathale acknowledged concerns raised by communities about a shortage of police vehicles, noting that residents often complained that police were unable to respond to incidents because only one vehicle was available and already attending another crime scene.

“These additional vehicles will help address this challenge. We know that this is not going to solve the problem of resource shortages, but it will contribute to what we already have and will enhance our responsiveness as the SAPS.”

In his speech, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola said the handover came at a critical time as police intensified operations ahead of the festive season.

He said that law enforcement agencies are heightening safer festive season operations to deal decisively with serious and violent crime.

“We are entering the peak of the festive season, and as the men and women in blue, we are also heightening our safer festive operation,” he said.

Masemola confirmed that 162 newly purchased vehicles were being handed over to serve and protect the people of Gauteng.

“The vehicles will be deployed to various police stations, including Atteridgeville, Alexandra, Diepsloot, Eldorado Park, Midrand, and Tembisa, among others.”

The commissioner also announced that since February this year, a total of 1,125 newly trained constables had been deployed to Gauteng to strengthen crime-combating efforts.

He said the province would continue to be prioritised in terms of increasing capacity and resourcing of police stations.

Highlighting progress made during safer festive operations, Masemola said that since operations began on October 13, police in Gauteng had arrested 26 744 suspects for crimes including murder, hijackings, and kidnappings.

In addition, 185 illegal and unlicensed firearms had been seized, along with 2 422 rounds of ammunition.

“Police also recovered 141 vehicles that had been stolen or hijacked,” added Masemola.

He called on the people in Tshwane and around the province to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure a safe and peaceful festive season.

ALSO READ: New fleet of helicopters and vehicles to help fight crime

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok or WhatsApp Channel