27% of SAPS Flying Squad Fleet Off the Road

Statement by Ian Cameron MP – DA Deputy Spokesperson on Police:

140 of the 517 vehicles allocated to the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Flying Squad are not in use, raising serious concerns about the police’s ability to respond quickly to violent crime and emergencies.

A parliamentary question by the DA revealed that only 377 vehicles are operational nationally, while all 140 vehicles not in use are booked into garages for servicing or maintenance repairs.

The figures also expose an ageing, high-mileage fleet. Of the 517 vehicles allocated to the Flying Squad, 280 have travelled more than 200,000 kilometres. This includes 166 vehicles with odometer readings between 200,000 and 300,000 kilometres and another 114 that have exceeded 300,000 kilometres.

Gauteng, which has the largest allocation, has 56 of its 220 vehicles out of use. In the North West, 15 of 32 vehicles are not operational, while the Eastern Cape has 13 of its 37 vehicles off the road. Mpumalanga also has 10 of its 32 vehicles out of use.

These shortages undermine a specialist police unit tasked with responding rapidly to serious crimes in progress and high-risk situations. At a time when communities face violent crime and gang violence, SAPS cannot afford to have so many vehicles unavailable or rely on a fleet with such high mileage.

The DA believes South Africa needs a better-resourced and more effective policing system. Excessive centralisation has limited the ability of capable municipalities to strengthen frontline crime-fighting efforts. These failures further strengthen the case for expanding policing powers to competent municipalities, so that communities are not solely dependent on national government to fight crime.

Competent municipalities should be empowered to play a greater role in fighting crime, working alongside SAPS. The City of Cape Town’s locally managed enforcement capacity, including its SWAT unit, demonstrates the role municipal policing can play in strengthening safety.

South Africans deserve a police service that is equipped to respond when they need it most.