Newcastle’s ability to respond to crimes and serious emergencies has again come under scrutiny, following allegations that the city’s central police station is regularly left with as few as one to three operational vehicles.
However, concerns over a shortage of serviceable vehicles have been supported by a police source, a local private security company and the Newcastle Community Policing Forum (CPF).
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A police source, who spoke to Newcastillian News on condition of anonymity, alleged that officers are frequently unable to respond to calls because much of the station’s allocated fleet is awaiting repairs.
While the Newcastle Police Station may appear adequately resourced according to its vehicle allocation, the source said the number of vehicles physically available for deployment presents a far different picture.
“There are vehicles which have been in repairs for up to four months for something as stupid as fixing a broken indicator light that was damaged in a protest. Due to the slow turnover from the mechanical workshop, this has resulted in the Newcastle SAPS only having between one to three vehicles available at any given time to respond to crimes or serious emergencies in town,” stated the source.
According to the source, the shortage means that Newcastle SAPS must at times seek assistance from neighbouring police stations in Madadeni and Osizweni, while private security companies are increasingly drawn into incidents requiring a police response.
“This is the biggest reason why there are never vehicles available when community members call for help,” the source added.
Furthermore, Magenta Security’s Jan van Rensburg said private security personnel had repeatedly experienced delayed police responses after requesting assistance.
“There was an incident where a man’s body was recently found in an open piece of land in the CBD after he had committed suicide. Despite all services being on the scene after the body was reported, when the police were called to see where they were, they told offcials on the scene that they did not have a vehicle available and would send one when it became available. They arrived over 20 minutes later,” said van Rensburg.
He warned that delays of this nature can leave scenes unsecured, exposing members of the public to situations that should be controlled by law enforcement.
Van Rensburg further said private security companies had also been asked on occasion to transport arrested suspects to the police station after being informed that no SAPS vehicle was available.
“On more than one occasion, we have called for the police, and we get told that they have no vehicles available, and that they would either send one out when available or we could take the suspect in,” he explained.
While private security officers may lawfully arrest suspects under defined circumstances, van Rensburg stressed that transporting an arrested person creates additional safety, insurance and legal exposure for both the company and its personnel.
He further argued that security companies should not be expected to assume this responsibility because SAPS lacks an available vehicle.
This places security personnel in a difficult position: either remain at the scene while waiting for SAPS, release control of the suspect, or accept the risks associated with transporting that person in a private security vehicle.
Van Rensburg further claimed that a Newcastle businessman had offered to pay for several broken-down SAPS vehicles to be repaired, but that the offer was not accepted.
The SAPS did not respond to questions regarding the alleged offer or explain whether policy and procurement requirements would prevent a private individual from funding repairs to State vehicles.
Moreover, the Newcastle CPF confirmed that it was aware of resource constraints affecting the station and had repeatedly raised the need for adequate policing resources with SAPS management.
“We are also aware of the resource constraints affecting the station and have, on a regular basis, raised our concerns with SAPS management regarding the need for adequate resources to support effective policing and response,” the forum stated.
The CPF declined to disclose the number of functional police vehicles, citing operational and security considerations. It also cautioned against assessing the station’s position according to one circulating figure.
“We would therefore caution against focusing solely on any specific figure being circulated regarding the number of vehicles. The broader issue is whether the station has sufficient operational resources to meet the policing needs of the Newcastle community,” the CPF added.
According to the forum, the relevant question is not simply how many vehicles have been allocated to Newcastle SAPS, but how many are serviceable and ready for deployment when incidents occur.
“The issue is not simply the number of vehicles allocated to the station, but whether there are sufficient serviceable and deployable vehicles available at any given time to adequately cover the policing needs of the area. Newcastle is a growing community with a significant geographical area and a diverse range of policing demands. When vehicles are unavailable, this places additional pressure on the vehicles and members that remain operational. The CPF therefore continues to advocate for sufficient resources, including vehicles, to enable SAPS members to perform their duties effectively,” the CPF stressed.
A shortage of deployable vehicles can affect more than emergency response times. The CPF said it may also reduce preventative patrols, police visibility in crime hotspots and the station’s ability to respond to several incidents at the same time.
Follow-up investigations, engagement with communities and the maintenance of a visible policing presence across Newcastle may also be affected when officers cannot be transported where they are required.
However, the forum cautioned that vehicle availability should not automatically be blamed for every delayed response or instance of inadequate service.
“It is important to emphasise that the CPF does not seek to attribute every instance of delayed response or inadequate service to vehicle availability alone. SAPS policing is affected by several operational factors. However, adequate vehicles and resources are an important component of effective service delivery,” it stated.
According to the CPF, growing concerns over response times and limited resources are contributing to frustration among residents. It said greater communication was required to prevent uncertainty from eroding confidence in local policing.
“This is precisely why the CPF continues to raise the matter with SAPS. The CPF believes that communication and transparency are important components of maintaining public confidence in policing. We understand that SAPS cannot disclose sensitive operational information, including specific deployment capabilities, for legitimate security reasons. At the same time, where communities are raising genuine concerns about service delivery and resource availability, there needs to be an appropriate mechanism for those concerns to be acknowledged and addressed,” the forum explained.
Therefore, the CPF said the station’s resource requirements should be assessed against Newcastle’s geographical coverage, crime patterns and operational workload.
It called for faster turnaround times on repairs, together with longer-term planning for vehicle maintenance and replacement.
It further confirmed that it would continue engaging SAPS management over the allocation of additional resources, particularly those supporting Visible Policing.
“Ultimately, the CPF’s objective is not to undermine SAPS but to strengthen policing in Newcastle. We believe that adequately resourced police stations, effective community policing, improved communication and accountability will collectively contribute towards better service delivery and improved public confidence,” the CPF concluded.
Newcastillian News approached Newcastle SAPS, Amajuba District SAPS and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial SAPS for clarity.
Constable Nonjabulo Langa referred the enquiry to the provincial police office. However, no response was received from the provincial office despite a formal media enquiry and subsequent follow-ups.
As a result, SAPS has not confirmed how many vehicles are currently allocated to the Newcastle Police Station, how many are serviceable, how many are awaiting repairs or what measures are being implemented to restore operational capacity.
The police service also did not respond to questions about the businessman’s alleged offer to fund vehicle repairs.
Yet, when looking back, vehicle availability has been raised repeatedly in Newcastle over several years.
In May 2022, Newcastillian News reported that 16 of the Newcastle Public Order Policing unit’s 29 vehicles were out of service.
The figures, provided by former Police Minister Bheki Cele in response to a parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance MP Andrew Whitfield, related specifically to the Public Order Policing fleet rather than the Newcastle Police Station’s ordinary response vehicles.
KwaZulu-Natal was then identified as the worst-affected province, with more than half of its Public Order Policing vehicles undergoing repairs.
In February 2025, a Newcastle burglary victim was reportedly required to transport a police officer to and from her property so that forensic work could be completed because no police vehicle was available.
“Most of our vehicles are in the SAPS garage undergoing repairs. However, we do have plans in times of emergency, which includes contacting neighbouring stations to assist with the use of their vehicles. Also, we are hopefully getting more vehicles during the course of this year,” she said at the time, adding that the problem was not confined to Newcastle.
More recently, Newcastillian News reported in May 2026 that private security companies were increasingly being called upon during incidents amid complaints concerning police visibility and response capacity.
In its subsequent response, Newcastle SAPS said that resources were deployed according to operational priorities, crime hotspots and changing demands. However, it did not disclose specific figures relating to the station’s personnel or vehicles.
The latest accounts suggest that the long-standing problem has not been resolved.
While SAPS may have legitimate reasons for withholding specific deployment information, the absence of any broader explanation leaves unanswered questions about the condition of Newcastle’s police fleet, repair turnaround times and the station’s capacity to respond when residents request assistance.
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Hopefully, SAPS will respond to the formal media enquiry and provide the public with clarity on this pressing matter.
Until then, what are your thoughts on all of this? Let us know below.
SAPS regularly seen wondering around supermarkets in uniform doing grocery shopping, you clearly see the vehicles parked at the shopping centre’s and not 2 but more SAPS doing their private shopping oh and don’t ask for assistance if needed they just ignore you like a stop street gets ignored by a taxi. Even seen them in liquor outlets doing ” refreshment shopping” oh and also they like to frequent the street vendors( ladies of the night). So if in need of a SAPS VECHILE CALL THE STORES YOU BOUND TO FIND A FEW THERE!!!!
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SAPS regularly seen wondering around supermarkets in uniform doing grocery shopping, you clearly see the vehicles parked at the shopping centre’s and not 2 but more SAPS doing their private shopping oh and don’t ask for assistance if needed they just ignore you like a stop street gets ignored by a taxi. Even seen them in liquor outlets doing ” refreshment shopping” oh and also they like to frequent the street vendors( ladies of the night). So if in need of a SAPS VECHILE CALL THE STORES YOU BOUND TO FIND A FEW THERE!!!!
HOW MANY OF THE WORKSHOPS THAT HAVE SAPS VEHICLES FOR REPAIRS HAVE RECEIVED PURCHASE ORDERS TO PROCEED WITH SAID REPAIRS?