An officer has told Eyewitness News that he and his colleagues often spend entire shifts in the control room, listening to reports of crime coming in but were unable to respond because they did not have cars readily available.

“Flying Squad Pretoria is in a mess. There are no vehicles. Members are forced to sit in the patrol room shift after shift, if they are lucky there are three cars available,” said the officer.

The police’s Eugene Opperman said this was true but blamed officers for not taking care of their vehicles.

“According to the commander there, they have 24 vehicles of which only three is running, so that means there is a major problem there concerning some or other misuse of vehicles or the boarding of vehicles in accidents and that kind of thing.”