DA submits Norkem Park SAPS petition to parliament
The petition calls on the national leadership of the SAPS to increase the number of police officers allocated to the Norkem Park Police Station and also ensure that these police officers are properly trained
THE Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted a petition, signed by Birch Acres residents, to parliament calling on the minister of police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, to increase resources allocated to the Norkem Park Police Station.
DA deputy chief whip in parliament Mike Waters said the increase in manpower and resources was in order to ensure effective and visible policing in the area.
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“The DA launched the petition due to the surge in crime within the Norkem Park police precinct, particularly in the Birch Acres area. A recent visit by the DA to the Norkem Park Police Station revealed that there are around 30 house robberies and four hijackings per month in the precinct,” said Waters.
Waters said that these violent crimes were threatening the safety and well-being of residents and the local police were not equipped to deal with the current situation.
“The DA’s visit also revealed that only 10 out of the 38 detectives working at the Norkem Park station have attended and passed their detective course. To make matters worse, these detectives are carrying a workload of between 80 to 90 cases each. Seventy-nine out of the 139 police officers at the station have also failed their shooting competency tests,” he added.
“The petition calls on the national leadership of the SAPS to increase the number of police officers allocated to the Norkem Park Police Station and also ensure that these police officers are properly trained.”
“We also need more visible policing in the area. Regular police patrols will serve as a deterrent to criminals.”
Waters added that it was critical that police officers receive the necessary training, resources and support they needed to keep communities safe.
“We therefore call on minister Nhleko and his management team to immediately intervene and to respond to the DA’s position by increasing resources at Norkem Park Police Station,” he said.
