Police Minister Bheki Cele says some officers are breaking the law, extorting communities, and committing acts of corruption while hiding behind their blue uniforms.

According to Cele, between 1 April and September this year, 24 police officers were arrested for various crimes in the Western Cape.

On Thursday, he addressed a press conference in Parliament where he described the police's efforts to curb extortion and kidnappings in the Western Cape.

"This includes 11 police arrested for corruption. Four officers were arrested for fraud, four more were arrested for extortion, and another four members were arrested for defeating the ends of justice. One officer has been found in possession of drugs and is answering to that charge," Cele said.

"We have agreed that restoring the trust deficit between communities and the SAPS will need the police service clean house. I believe these arrests, while they are painful, they do send a strong message that police ineptness and police corruption will never be tolerated and won't go unpunished."

Cele said police in the Western Cape were investigating 32 cases of kidnapping between March and  September.

"It remains encouraging that the SAPS in the province continue to make inroads regarding kidnapping cases. A total of 15 kidnapping suspects have been arrested. This includes the court appearance of five suspects who appeared at the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on 12 September 2022. The five-member gang appeared on charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping and other charges related to the failed kidnapping of a business women of Chinese nationality."

He said the judiciary was also intensifying the fight against corruption within its ranks.

This included magistrate's courts that had turned into bail "wholesales" in some parts of the country.

"The Correctional Service Department has also made strides in the fight against alleged corruption in its correctional facilities. This includes allegations of prison warders who are colluding with criminals while behind bars," Cele said.

Cele also gave an update on attacks on public transport vehicles.

He said the Western Cape transport sector had been recently marred by violence, intimidation and acts of sabotage, placing commuters' and drivers' lives at risk.

"Thirty-eight cases were registered of attacks on Intercape, Golden Arrow, Mavumisa buses, as well as taxis... from 1 August to 31 August 2022. Sixteen people have been arrested, charged with public violence and malicious damage to property. Interventions to stop the attacks and violence in this sector have included investigative task teams reliant on early warnings from Crime intelligence to make arrests and prevent further attacks."

Officials from the Eastern and Western Cape had been meeting to address challenges in both provinces, and increased police deployment on bus routes had also yielded encouraging results, Cele said.

Meanwhile, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said Cele must establish an extortion and kidnapping task force for the city.