Criminals target police station, officers concerned about their safety
The officers say they are forced to put up with unsafe working conditions in a building that suffers never-ending break-ins.
Criminals again reportedly broke into the Boksburg SAPS’ detective branch building, highlighting “inadequate” security to safeguard the facility and its occupants against criminality.
While the Boksburg police spokesperson, Sergeant Ntsako Ledwaba, has not yet responded to our request for comment, concerned police officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told this publication that thugs recently repeatedly forced their way into the building.
In one of the latest incidents, they even broke the door to the storeroom containing large piles of dockets.
It’s still unclear if the criminals stole anything from the storeroom, but officers said they are concerned about the “serious security breach” at a building housing sensitive information.
They said their workplace suffered the same fate a few months ago when an intruder entered an office through the ceiling and jumped on one of the police officers, who was alone in the office.
The assailant reportedly escaped with the officer’s cellphone after a brief scuffle.
Ledwaba confirmed this incident and said, “A case was opened, and the matter is under investigation.”
The two attacks on the State follow a series of break-ins that saw the facility stripped of its network cables, a door and several contents.
The concerned officers added that the security failures, which have led to thefts and vandalism, compounded by the precarious state of the facility, weakened the sense of safety among staff, who have for far too long raised being exposed to an unsafe work environment.
They criticised management for not providing adequate safeguards against intruders and not taking reasonable care of the physical condition of the premises.
“Management has proved ineffective in protecting its resources, yet they always talk about protecting the community.
“This building has become an easy target for vagrants and burglars, while management keeps downplaying the safety and security risks these things pose to everyone working here.
“Even the robbery of one of our members was registered as a burglary, yet someone was robbed in the act,” said a frustrated member.
The crumbling southerly section of the building, unhygienic conditions, non-functioning network system, offices with damaged doors, poor lighting, and locking or closing mechanisms on doors and windows are among the safety issues raised by staff.
The overgrown vegetation in the neglected southerly section of the building is blamed for creating hiding places for intruders.
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