National Police Commissioner, General Fanie Masemola, has revealed that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is currently conducting a feasibility study on possibly upgrading the Bityi Police Station to a Lieutenant Colonel station.
Masemola said this while in Mthatha on Wednesday, June 28, together with Police minister, Bheki Cele, for the passing out parade of newly-trained police officers.
Traditional leaders and communities serviced by the Bityi Police Station have long called for the facility to be elevated to a Lieutenant Colonel police station, as they believe the move will allow for additional resources and police officers to be deployed there.
Communities are currently grappling with a high rate of serious crime, including murder and stock theft committed within the Bityi Police Station policing precinct.
“There is a study being done regarding the upgrade of that station. It is not normally a call by the community or a forum to upgrade a police station but an internal decision of SAPS, as it depends on the availability of funds and several other considerations,” Masemola said.
He further said that a decision would be made on the upgrade of the station to a Lieutenant Colonel facility within the current financial year.
Masemola said that the SAPS had deployed extra forces there to supplement the local police personnel.
“We are working on the Bityi Police Station with a view to make sure its resources in total get upgraded, including the station commander,” said Masemola.
Meanwhile, Police minister, Bheki Cele, used the same passing out parade to appeal for patience in their investigation regarding the murder of OR Tambo District Municipality employee, Namhla Mtwa, in April last year. More than a year later, police are yet to make an arrest in the case.
“The Namhla Mtwa murder investigation was taken over by the national office and we are making in-roads in the investigation. The problem about it is that it is a very high-profile case and if we act on it, we must do the best,” said Cele.
The passing out parade saw 214 newly-trained police officers graduate at the SAPS Academy in Mthatha, while similar ceremonies simultaneously took place in Bhisho and Tabazimbi in Limpopo.
