Mkhwanazi says disproportionate ratio between cops, citizens
KwaZulu-Natal's top cop says there is a mismatch between the rising number of citizens in the province and the decreasing number of those keeping them safe.
During a media briefing at the Durban Christian Centre on Tuesday, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi revealed that just 19 600 officers are responsible for policing KZN's over 12 million residents.
It's where the provincial police chief met with KZN's SAPS commanders.
The meeting was for officials account for their performance and shortcomings in the 2024/2025 financial year.
Mkhwanazi says at some point, KZN housed 25 000 men and women in blue.
" In the previous financial year, we lost a total of 893 personnel, 220 police officers left the service through retirement, 240 of them resigned from the service, 140 took an early retirement and 116 passed on with six of them meeting their ultimate death in the line of duty, 106 police officers were dismissed from the service for various acts of misconduct."
READ: Drop in number of serious crimes in KZN, Mkhwanazi says
Mkwanazi explains what he thinks is driving a large number of officers to leave the service.
"This emerging lifestyle of protection services that are provided to certain individuals who perceive themselves as VIPs. So once a person has got a certain amount of wealth, they feel that they need to get protectors around them.
"I don't know. I think it's a status thing and suddenly when a person needs to have protectors around them, then they start recruiting from the police because there's no time to train guards that are going to look after you."
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