Detectives from the Boksburg SAPS have been forced to relocate to limited space inside the main police station building after their once-operational detective branch building on Commissioner Street was reduced to a hollow shell by years of systematic vandalism.

The facility, previously a functioning investigative hub, was gradually stripped and smashed, leaving officers with no choice but to vacate the premises.

Criminals systematically tore the facility apart, removing electrical wiring from the walls, ripping out doors and windows, smashing ceilings, breaking into storerooms believed to contain case documents and other sensitive material, and dismantling fittings piece by piece.

Video footage and photographs obtained by this publication show ransacked offices resembling an abandoned ruin rather than a functioning state law enforcement facility. Offices were broken into, furniture destroyed, and safe rooms appear to have been targeted. Official documents lie scattered across dusty floors. Outside, the yard stands overgrown. The structure now resembles a derelict shell.

Vandalism happening in plain sight

What has shocked officers most is that the building stands on a busy road, directly adjacent to the main police station. Yet vandals allegedly returned repeatedly, stripping the facility section by section, seemingly without decisive intervention until it became completely unusable.

Frustrated detectives, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the damage did not occur overnight but unfolded gradually over several years. This newspaper has also highlighted ongoing vandalism at the site since 2018.

Initially, detectives were confined to one section of the building after earlier vandalism damaged the southern wing. However, the attacks continued, eventually rendering the entire structure unfit for occupation, despite repeated appeals to management and the relevant provincial department for intervention.

Officers fear that the building has now been fully vacated, leaving it even more vulnerable to further damage and theft.

Operation leads to arrests – but questions remain

Following media inquiries from this publication, police management assembled a team of officers who conducted a morning operation targeting vandalism at the former detective branch building, on February 25.

Five suspects were arrested in connection with the ongoing stripping of the facility. Two were allegedly caught in the act. According to police spokesperson Sergeant Ntsako Ledwaba, information obtained from the suspects led officers to two separate locations where some of the items believed to have been removed from the building were recovered. Additional arrests were made at those locations.

She confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that further arrests may follow.

However, detectives on the ground argue that the operation does not address the broader infrastructure crisis that forced them to vacate the building.

While the arrests mark a development in the long-running matter, they come after years during which the building was gradually dismantled despite its location next to a functioning police station.

Detectives maintain that the damage occurred over an extended period and question why decisive intervention materialised only after the facility had already been rendered unusable.

‘We were forced to vacate’ – officers

“As police, we are not supposed to run from criminals. But we were forced to,” said one detective, describing the moment officers abandoned the building.

“Our offices have been reduced to a shell under management’s nose. Vandals removed doors, electrical wiring, geysers, taps, pipes and even toilet fittings, leaving us unable to operate without electricity, water and functioning toilets.”

Officers questioned how criminals were able to dismantle a police facility in stages without effective intervention, and what this signals about the security of other government properties.

The property falls under the responsibility of the Gauteng Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

Confidential files potentially compromised

Even more alarming, officers said, is the potential compromise of sensitive material stored in the vandalised facility.

They expressed concern that important case dockets and investigative documents may have been accessed.

“You can go there now and you will find some dockets lying empty – just the brown covers left on the floor,” said one officer. “The intruders are likely after the white paper to sell to recycling businesses.”

Another officer confirmed that arrests had previously been made and cases opened in connection with the vandalism. However, the situation persisted.

“Without serious measures being implemented, we eventually had to leave for our own safety,” the officer said.

Cramped conditions hamper operations

Detectives are now operating from limited space inside the main police station.

“We are cramped into small offices. It becomes extremely difficult to operate, especially when interviewing persons of interest and complainants.”

They added that the strain extends beyond infrastructure, saying the station is also grappling with vehicle shortages.

“At times only one van services an entire sector. Something needs to be done urgently. You cannot have a police building targeted like this. What about the public we are meant to protect? It feels like management has failed all of us,” a detective said.

Although the recent arrests signal movement in a case that has dragged on for years, the detective branch building remains a gutted shell – and officers continue to operate in constrained conditions inside the main station.

Unanswered questions

For many, the question is no longer only who stripped the building, but how it was allowed to happen in the first place.

Despite the recent arrests, serious questions remain:

• How was the facility allowed to be stripped over several years before decisive enforcement action was taken?
• What preventative security measures were in place prior to the latest operation?
• Why did intervention only occur after the building had already been rendered unusable?
• What safeguards are now in place to protect this facility and other state-owned properties?

Broader infrastructure concerns

The destruction of the building adds to mounting public infrastructure concerns in Boksburg.

Photos obtained by this publication show the deterioration of the court building, particularly the basement, including waterlogged holding cells, police workstations and storerooms affected by persistent damp conditions.

Earlier last year, the DPWI indicated that long-awaited upgrades to the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court would proceed. However, the department later confirmed that it had been unable to secure a contractor and that the project would need to be re-advertised.

The delays have intensified concerns about the maintenance of the court building, and safety of workers and the public.

DPWI shifts blame to SAPS over vandalism

The Gauteng Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has distanced itself from responsibility for security at the vandalised Boksburg detective branch building, saying the SAPS must answer for how the facility was stripped over several years.

This follows this publication’s investigation revealing how the Commissioner Street building, situated next to the main police station, was systematically dismantled, forcing detectives to abandon it and operate from cramped offices inside the station.

‘Security is the responsibility of SAPS’

In response to the Boksburg Advertiser’s questions, DPWI said the property ‘has not been handed back’ and that SAPS, as the user department, is responsible for security at the site.

The department said, despite the property being state-owned infrastructure under DPWI oversight, “the facility falls under the responsibility of SAPS, and any risk assessments or investigations into how vandalism escalated fall within SAPS’ operational mandate.”

Detectives previously told this publication that the years-long stripping of the building unfolded gradually, section by section, with repeated appeals for intervention.

R95m restoration project, but no funding yet

While distancing itself from security responsibility, the department confirmed that a restoration project has been registered at an estimated R95m.

However, DPWI acknowledged that no funding has been allocated yet.

“Currently, the department does not have allocated funding for the project and is awaiting the budget allocation for the new financial year,” said the department’s Thami Mchunu.

He indicated that only once funding is secured will the project proceed, with an estimated construction timeline of 24 months.

This means the already displaced detectives could face years more in temporary conditions before any permanent solution materialises.

Prevention measures questioned

Asked what steps are being taken to prevent similar incidents at other government properties, the department pointed to the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (NDPWI), which safeguards its properties through appointed security service providers.

“Provincial departments were advised to implement similar measures to prevent vandalism and illegal occupation.”

The statement raises further questions about why such safeguards were not effectively in place at the Boksburg facility before it was rendered unusable.

Court upgrade delays continue

The department also confirmed ongoing delays in appointing a contractor for upgrades at the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court.

The tender was re-advertised on January 19 and closed on February 9. A contractor has not yet been appointed. Evaluation is expected to begin on March 3, with the award anticipated only by late April or early May. While the site handover is projected for June.

In the meantime, DPWI says its facility management unit will continue day-to-day.

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