Gauteng is SA's home of crime.

Gauteng is SA's home of crime - Cele

2011-03-30

Cape Town - Half of all the crime committed in South Africa happens in Gauteng, National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele said on Wednesday.

"Gauteng is exactly 50% of South Africa's crime stats. The other provinces make up the other 50%," Cele told a parliamentary portfolio committee on police.

"The stats say that Gauteng is the home of crime."

This made Gauteng a top priority province in terms of resources and the building of police stations.

He said it was disturbing that while the province had 100 townships and more than 200 informal settlements, only 50 of its 135 police stations were situated in the townships and informal settlements.

"[We] need to have police stations mushrooming everywhere in Gauteng. To deal with crime, we have to deal with Gauteng," Cele said.

He said duty corps in the provinces would be maintained and more would be built.

These would be scaled down in "quieter" cities like Cape Town and Durban.

"Because in Gauteng if you go down a little, crime goes up the next day.

"In Gauteng, police stations must be forever there."

Cele was responding to criticism from committee members on wastage of funds and vacant police stations in some provinces.

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