Police Minister Bheki Cele said the “number one crime” committed by police is turning away abused women at police stations when they are reporting crimes.

This announcement was made on Tuesday while Cele launched the opening of the new police station in Samora Machel.

At the training college, Cele warned cops to adhere to the law or face going to jail.

“Never ever turn an abused woman away from the police station. Your job is to arrest the perpetrator,” he said.

“I love the blue uniform, don’t exchange it for orange (prison overalls), he stressed.

“If you do the things that make you exchange your uniform for orange, we will make sure that you get out of this organisation (SAPS) and join the 28 and 27s, 26, 34, and whatever other 20s gang there are in jail.”

Top cop Brigadier Novela Potelwa said this year they have the Anti-Gang Unit to assist.

“We are guided by crime patterns and what is different for this year’s festive season’s plan is that we have the Anti-Gang Unit, we will be having more police on the ground,” Potelwa says.

At the same event, the SAPS Festive Season Safety Plan was launched at the Philippi Police Academy, where 407 police officials also received their promotions.

At the same event, Gift of the Givers handed out food parcels to 96 family members of slain cops in the Western Cape and four wheelchairs were handed over to officers who have been left disabled in the line of duty.