News24 reports that no fewer than 1,000 new police recruits - of the 5,000 currently receiving training - will be deployed to the Western Cape.  

This assurance was given to Western Cape Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz last week during a meeting with police minister Bheki Cele to address policing needs and priorities in the province.  Fritz said that Cele had indicated that the resourcing of Western Cape's police stations was being addressed and had vowed that the recruits would be deployed immediately after completing their training.  The under resourcing of the province's force saw former community safety MEC and current Premier Alan Winde declare a formal intergovernmental dispute with Cele in April, accusing him of ignoring the province's policing needs.  Fritz also reported that Cele was willing to engage on the province’s proposals to alleviate the police's work.  These included the proposed funding of R5m it had made available to pay for police reservists to be deployed in the province, as well as an offer of provincial government volunteers to take on administrative duties at police stations, so that more police officers could be freed up to fight crime on patrol.

• Read the full original of Tammy Petersen’s report on this story at News24

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