PARLIAMENTARY Portfolio Committee on Police Ian Cameron says Cape Town’s police dog unit is on the verge of “complete collapse”.
In an unannounced visit to SAPS’ K9 Unit in Cape Town, Cameron raised the alarm after finding just two operational dogs.
He said the clear disregard of the K9 unit diminishes the effectiveness of the capability of the SAPS to fight various categories of crime that affect the country.
Cameron says: “On Friday, January 31, 2025, my colleagues and I undertook an unannounced visit to the Cape Town K9 Unit where our observations should worry all South Africans.
“The SAPS management seems oblivious to the world-accepted role and capability that K9 unit dogs can play in fighting crime.”
He explained the observations made during the visit indicated a crisis in leadership, a lack of understanding of this critical capability, or worse, dereliction of duty.
Cameron barked: “In a city overrun by drugs and gangsterism, the presence of an international airport and harbour which could be used as entry points for narcotics, it is unacceptable to have such limited resources to fight crime.
“It is incomprehensible that 50% of dog handlers in Cape Town alone do not have dogs, the training at Roodeplant is ineffective and outdated, and the SAPS continue to rely on a strategy to train their dogs, a process that takes time and is not responsive to the current needs.”
The strategy not to purchase already trained dogs to close the current gap will also be reviewed.