Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, has proposed a strategic merger between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) metro police.
The aim is to tackle the escalating crime rate in the metro area by enhancing manpower and aligning the efforts of various law enforcement agencies.
This proposal follows the recent crime imbizo held in Soweto on Sea, Gqeberha, where residents voiced their concerns over crime-related issues.
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The residents of Nelson Mandela Bay are deeply troubled by high crime rates, including robberies, hijackings, and safety issues within schools.
An educator at Kwazakhele Primary School shared her distress, stating, “Every day when you go to school, you don’t know if you are going to come back.
There are a lot of burglaries and vandalism at our schools. We are not safe at all.” Another resident highlighted the endemic crime problem in communities, describing frequent incidents of people being robbed and hijacked.
Mchunu emphasized that the cooperation and agreement with the metro police aim to increase personnel deployed on the ground, particularly in crime hotspot areas.
“We are seeking a cooperation, agreement, particularly with the metro police because we want to increase personnel on the ground and in all areas where there is a crime hotspot or not. We are going to have police all around,” he stated.
The proposed merger is expected to add 300 police officers, who will work jointly with SAPS to monitor and manage hotspots efficiently. Minister Mchunu has set a deadline for this strategic merger to be enacted.
He has instructed NMB Executive Mayor Gary van Niekerk to facilitate the merging of the national police with the metro police by the end of the month, ensuring a unified and aligned approach to law enforcement within the city.
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