More cops on way, but where will they stay?

● Police accommodation crisis leaves top brass scratching their heads over where to house 136 constables being deployed to Bay

nelb@theherald.co.za

Police are facing an accommodation crisis in Nelson Mandela Bay, with temporary lodgings needed for scores of new members set to be deployed to the metro to bolster its crimefighting capabilities.

The 136 constables are being sent from North West province and are due to arrive later this month, though their actual date of arrival has not been established.

District bosses have, however, been locked in meetings this week in a bid to resolve the accommodation issue.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said they were addressing the matter but that no lodgings had been secured yet.

Policing expert Patricia Mashale said the situation was embarrassing and in breach of the police’s resettlement and relocation policy.

The new recruits are recent graduates of the nationwide 10,000 boots on the ground campaign and joined the police service last month.

They were initially stationed in North West and are now being deployed in the Bay.

“The Nelson Mandela Bay district will be receiving 136 new police constables from the North West,” Naidu said.

“The members will be deployed to stations within the district.

“Logistical matters relating to their accommodation [and so on] are being attended to by the district commissioner’s office.”

She said the issue of accommodation for the new constables was an internal matter.

“The revealing of their accommodation poses a security risk,” she said.

However, Naidu said no accommodation had been secured yet.

“They had a meeting yesterday [Tuesday] to discuss accommodation.”

She said police were awaiting a final date for the constables’ arrival but confirmed it would be this month.

The residential quarters at Mount Road police station, previously in a state of disrepair and deemed unsuitable for new occupants, was cleaned up this week, with the assistance of at least 15 cleaners.

The barracks, formerly characterised by a rat infestation, corridors strewn with empty alcohol bottles, mould-filled basins and bathtubs, scattered cigarette butts and an overpowering stench, are now more presentable.

But according to inside sources, there are not enough beds for the 136 new arrivals.

In contrast, the living quarters at the Humewood police station are already at full capacity.

“The sole alternative at their disposal is to furnish the barracks at Mount Road with an adequate number of beds or to arrange accommodation in guest houses.

“However, the latter contradicts the police’s directive to reduce costs,” an insider said.

Mashale said the situation was “utterly embarrassing”.

“Though the deployment of the new constables to the crime-ridden Nelson Mandela Bay should be hailed as a positive development, one that should be embraced, it is worth mentioning that it is disconcerting that the district commissioner seems uninformed about their arrival timeline from North West,” she said.

“The lack of clarity on their intended locations to live at further exacerbates the situation, turning it into a source of ridicule rather than a serious solution to the prevailing crime issues.

“It’s a red-faced situation.” Mashale said according to the SAPS’s resettlement and relocation policy, police management was mandated to facilitate housing for officers deployed from their home province to another.

“It is their responsibility to secure suitable accommodation for a maximum of three months,” she said.

“If it’s a temporary deployment, then police must accommodate the members for the entire time, depending on how long they are deployed.

“The current uncertainty regarding the arrival date and accommodation arrangements for new constables raises concerns about their preparedness, highlighting the need for better co-ordination and communication.”

Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said Nelson Mandela Bay, like the rest of SA, needed additional cops.

“The police need to plan

and the fact that there is no accommodation again shows poor planning,” he said.

“Crime levels are on the increase and visible policing is key.”

DA MPL Bobby Stevenson said the party welcomed the deployment.

“We appreciate the bringing in of new police members, a necessity in the current climate,” Stevenson said.

“The urgency is underscored by the stark statistics from the last financial year, which recorded 1,243 murders and 361 shooting incidents in Nelson Mandela Bay.

“The evident struggle for police accommodation raises concerns about preparedness, revealing a significant lapse in planning.”

Eastern Cape DA provincial leader Andrew Whitfield wrote to police minister Bheki Cele on October 2, saying: “After engagements with residents and oversight visits to two police stations in the northern areas last week, it became clear to me that we are not winning the fight against crime in these communities.

“I kindly request that you engage the national police commissioner to identify specialist support to assist the fight against crime in Nelson Mandela Bay.”

In response, on December 29, Cele told Whitfield that Eastern Cape police commissioner Nomthetheleli Mene had deployed additional resources to intervene and address violent crime in the metro.

“The additional resources have made a positive impact on crime recorded in the district based on the 2023/2024 first and second quarter crime statistics, as compared to the same period in the previous financial year.

“In addition, a request for the deployment of specialised units is under consideration.”

While releasing the provincial crime statistics for the second quarter — between July and September — in Wells Estate last month, police said three Nelson Mandela Bay police stations were identified as being among the top five murder hotspots in the province.

The top five stations, which are also in SA’s top 30 list for most reported murders, are Mthatha (up from 53 to 61), Kwazakhele (28 to 41), KwaNobuhle (44 to 38), New Brighton (38 to 37) and Lusikisiki (49 to 36).

There were 1,312 murders in the province during the quarter, compared with 1,313 recorded in the same period the previous year.

This is about 14 murders a day on average.