Question NW2739 to the Minister of Police
11 January 2022 - NW2739
Majozi, Ms Z to ask the Minister of Police
(1) In view of the statement by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) during the SA Human Commission hearings that the SA Police Service (SAPS) in KZN do not have adequate resources to deal with public disorder, following the accusations that SAPS in KZN failed to avert and manage the mass looting and riots that took place in the province in July 2021, what is his department’s plan to address the lack and shortage of resources within the SAPS; (2) whether he has found that other provinces in the Republic are in a similar situation with regard to a lack of resources and might find themselves incapable of averting and managing the same and/or similar incidents of unrest; if not, what is the position in this regard, if so, what are the relevant details? NW3254E
Reply:
(1). Between July 2021 and March 2022, the target is to train members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), at police stations, as first responders and equip them with pyrotechnics.
(2). The continual training of SAPS members at police stations, as first responders and equipping them with Crowd Management equipment, will reduce the risk of such incidents. It will enhance the response time as the police station members will be closer to the incidents, until such time that the Public Order Policing (POP) capacity is deployed. The target for training is 10 000 members, based on the proximity to hotspot areas. To date, 8 000 members have been trained and training is continuing.