A video of the Reiger Park SAPS in Boksburg being locked at night, shot by a man who claims police officers were sleeping at the time of filming, is doing the rounds on social media.

In the video, a man, who identified himself as a patroller, is shining a flashlight in front of a dark Reiger Park SAPS that appears to be closed.

“The police station is locked, ok. The people say they are scared here. We, as patrollers, want to sign off and show them our complaints, but we can’t do anything of the sort. We found one [police officer] sleeping outside. The others are sleeping inside. What must we do now?” the patroller in the video asks in Afrikaans.

According to Reiger Park SAPS spokesperson Constable Johannes Msimanga, the station remains operational 24/7, but adds that on the night in question, the gate was locked due to load-shedding at the station.

“This is part of our safety measures during load-shedding. Even during load-shedding, officers on duty at the customer service centre are always available to assist clients who come to the station.”

Msimanga pointed out that there is also a stationary vehicle outside the station that has officers who are there to help.

He commended the patrollers’ support, saying they are doing a good job by assisting police in patrolling their streets at night and that they are welcome to bring suspects to the police station or call the police if they see something suspicious.