Many Thembisa residents marched to the Rabasotho Police Station on January 31 to demand better policing in their town.
ALSO READ: Kempton residents FED-UP with power outages
This came after a march against high crime levels the day before.
Residents requested that the police presence in the neighbourhood be strengthened.
Residents handed over a memorandum to the local police station.
Gladys Mahlangu, one of the march organisers, detailed residents’ concerns, including the number of pending cases, lack of police visibility, allegations of police corruption, dysfunctional CPFs and a lack of trust between the community and police.
“The crime rate has risen over time and police have failed to respond. We, as a community, are fed up with the lack of service. This is why we resorted to acts that are against the law, such as blocking roads in our neighbourhood, because nothing is being done to improve safety in our area, Ward Nine. We don’t want to go down the path of trashing the area only to draw the police’s attention, so we’re asking for help,” said Mahlangu.
According to the memorandum, officers at the station don’t wear their name tags.
“We want to know why police officers act as if they are above the residents of the country, rather than responding to their calls and carrying out their responsibilities of serving and protecting them. What is the point of having a CPF that is not visible and SAPS that only responds to crime scenes?
“We want all police officers to wear name tags at all times, and we want the office to send new officers to Rabasotho to replace the old ones who are still focused on collecting drug money and shielding criminals rather than combating crime.
“Ward Nine police officer shifts must be shared with the community, and we propose that CPF and TRT patrol the ward on a daily basis, as crime has no time limit.”
According to the Thembisa SAPS communications officer, Capt Manyadza Ralidzhivha, the station is investigating the concerns.
“We received the memorandum, as the residents of Ward Nine have complained about police visibility. The station is investigating the situation.
“We’ve also increased the number of police cars in the area and patrol vehicles in the community in response to their concerns,” said Ralidzhivha.
Also follow us on:
