Crime is increasing, Salaries increasing.
The DA says it is staggering that taxpayers have to shell out almost R1bn a year just for the salaries of some 830 top executives in the police service.
And this is at a time when there is a critical shortage of ground-level police officers who have to do the actual investigations and fight against crime, DA spokesman Andrew Whitfield added on Friday.
His response comes after he asked Bheki Cele earlier in a parliamentary question how many senior management positions are currently held in the police service by General Majors and Brigadiers, and the total cost of each person’s employment.
General. National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole disclosed in the parliamentary response that 177 Major Majors and 654 Brigadiers currently hold senior management positions in the police.
According to his answer, each of the General Major concerned’s annual salary ranges from R1 million to R1.5 million per year.
The brigadiers earn between R1 million and R1,2 million a year.
It was also reported Thursday that taxpayers had to shell out an additional R2.6 billion just for the bonuses of senior executives in the entire public service.
This is despite the fact that some 29 000 top civil servants are already millionaires because of their huge annual salaries, which average R1.4 million each.
Whitfield said in a statement on Friday that the combined salaries for the above-mentioned Major Majors and Brigadiers amount to R977.8 million a year.
“It’s staggering that nearly R1bn is spent on top management. As these police officers draw millions, crime is increasingly out of control and 76% of police stations in the country do not have a single rape kit in stock.
He says the police’s priorities are obviously skewed.
“In light of the police service that is suffering from severe capacity shortages and lack of resources, it is ridiculous that this bloated top structure has been allowed to earn an average annual salary of R1.5 million.
“The average annual salary of R1.5 million is in stark contrast to the annual salaries of ordinary officers ranging from R54 000 for a student constable, R243 260 for a constable, R300 026 for a sergeant and R391 007 for a sergeant. warrant officer. “
Looking at the latest crime figures, top management clearly does very little to combat crime, Whitfield says.
He recommends that top management be reduced immediately and the money instead diverted to the grassroots officials who are at the forefront of combating the crime of crime in our communities.
“While we have a wealth of high-ranking officials in lush offices at the police headquarters, the safety of citizens remains a major concern.”
According to Whitfield, the DA will continue to fight for an honest and professional police service that is well-trained and equipped to tackle grassroots crime “and not from behind a desk”.
