KEY POINTS
- New JMPD Chief Themba Jaca pledges 600 new officers and body cameras to combat Johannesburg’s 14% rise in violent crime.
- Budget delays hinder immediate reforms, though 120 trainees will graduate this December amid corruption scandals plaguing the force.
- Leadership changes come as carjackings surge 22%, testing public confidence in the 23-year-old police department.
Newly appointed Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) Chief of Police, Themba Patrick Jaca, officially assumed office Thursday with a pledge to tackle the city’s escalating crime rates.
Speaking at his inauguration at Johannesburg Stadium, Jaca outlined plans to recruit 600 new officers and equip them with body cameras, calling it “a critical step in restoring public trust.”
“The badge must be a symbol of pride, not fear. The siren must be assurance, not anxiety,” Jaca declared, flanked by Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni and Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero.
IOL reports that the ceremony came as latest crime stats show a 14% year-on-year increase in armed robberies and a 22% spike in carjackings across the city.
Jaca’s Reform Agenda Faces Budget Hurdles in Crime Fight
Despite ambitions, Jaca acknowledged financial hurdles delaying reforms. “We’ve secured a recruitment budget, but operational upgrades like body cameras will only arrive in the new fiscal year,” he admitted. About 120 trainees are set to graduate in December, with a larger intake planned for January 2026.
Mayor Morero vowed to “break the back of corruption,” citing recent scandals where JMPD officers were implicated in bribery and hijacking syndicates.
The department, established in 2001, has cycled through four police chiefs amid persistent criticism over inefficiency.
