A staggering 38% of Gauteng police officers who could be on the road chasing criminals are stuck behind desks because they can’t drive a police vehicle. Police officers who can’t drive are severely limited in their ability to perform functional duties outside the police station.

According to a reply to my question from Gauteng Community Safety MEC Nonhlanhla Mazibuko 11 611 operational members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng do not have valid driver’s licenses, despite it being an explicit requirement for employment under the SAPS Act. A further 18 827 do have valid driver’s licenses.

The breakdown of officers without licenses by rank is as follows:

Efforts by the provincial police to mitigate the negative impact of unlicensed cops, while laudable, do not produce more cops on the streets patrolling neighbourhoods to prevent and combat crime.

The DA will request an explanation from Provincial Police Commissioner Mzwandile Petros regarding the employment of these officers in the first place and what he intends to do to ensure they all obtain valid driver’s licenses.

Police are not meant to sit behind desks while criminals terrorise the streets and neighbourhoods of our province. A well trained, properly equipped and highly mobile provincial police service is absolutely critical in the war against crime in Gauteng.