Pretoria -Service delivery monitoring visits to Mthatha police stations in the Eastern Cape were an eye opener, says Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele.
Cele, who was accompanied by SAPS top management, visited police stations with the aim of getting first hand information on service delivery issues as part of government's commitment of changing the way it works.
The tough-talking police chief says police stations are at a critical point of service delivery.
"We have taken a resolve to spend more time in the field than in offices as part of SAPS broader crime fighting strategy and furthermore to rotate top management meetings to provinces instead of hosting such meetings in the headquarters in Pretoria," said Cele.
The decision to visit Mthatha was informed by the latest reports of service delivery issues in the area.
The visit included Ngcobo Police station, Ngangelizwe police station and Mthatha Central police station among 8 other police stations within the cluster which serve about 2, 4 million people both in urban and rural communities.
"As we serve and protect we are mindful of the fact that the people of South Africa must be safe and feel safe and for this we will not retreat. SAPS Members, My Family - Together pushing back the frontiers of evil", Cele said.
The police station visits involved Provincial Commissioners from 9 Provinces, Deputy National Commissioners and Divisional commissioners from head office
