Led by Western Cape Commissioner Khombinkosi Jula, officials are briefing the provincial legislature's standing committee on community safety on resource allocation.
It's emerged Western Cape police recruited just over 1,200 new officers between 2015 and 2016.
The Western Cape has more than 17,000 operational police officers.
This is 6.3% less than the number needed for crime-fighting to be effective.
The police's major-general Jack Makgatho says: "We discovered that the Western Cape has been hit by short-staffing."
