The National South African Police Service (SAPS) Commissioner Bheki Cele together with the SAPS top management embarked on a provincial marathon visiting all nine provinces in six days, meeting all provincial top management and a total of 1 116 station commissioners in the country.
Visiting two provinces in one day was made possible by the availability of SAPS equipment and resources. During the visits the SAPS delegation led by Cele discovered pockets of excellence in some provinces that need to be spread in all other provinces to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of police operations. However there were provinces with serious challenges that will be addressed swiftly in ensuring that resources, skills and capacity are equal to the fight against crime.
"We strongly believe that the visits will yield good results in channelling all SAPS resources in fighting crime and creating safer communities, our members will carry the organisation in high esteem and with the dignity it deserves. To this end issues of police morale, posture, wellbeing and recruitment will be addressed so that police continue to bite heavily on criminals hence we say with all our plans in the pipeline 'run tsotsi run!'," said Cele.
SAPS management will soon attend a two day intensive retreat to map a way forward and a strategic direction taking into account what transpired from the provincial visits.
Media contact:
Nonkululeko Mbatha
Cell: 083 645 6252
Issued by: South African Police Service
18 August 2009
