Business owner fed up with police attitude
A businessman speaks out over his frustration with police officers' attitude.
LIVID can’t even begin to explain how part owner of BNR Engineering, Paul Brooker, felt when he reported a business burglary early in the morning to the Greenwood Park SAPS, only to find out by lunchtime that nobody at the station knew about it.
“I arrived at work at 6am and contacted the police at about 6.15am on 3 April to report a business burglary. I saw on our security record that our alarm had gone off twice during the night, once at 1.49am and again at 1.52am.
“By lunchtime I was still waiting for an officer to arrive to take a statement,” he said.
But, when he called just after noon, Greenwood Park Police Station’s offices knew nothing about the burglary.
He said he was assured police would send officers out shortly. A little while later police officers arrived, but to Brooker’s dismay, they were sitting in their car. According to Brooker the officer told him to contact the station and tell them to add the latest burglary to the last case.
“When I told him I couldn’t, because insurance needed another case number, he said to me: ‘Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?’ They then left,” Brooker said.
Greenwood Park SAPS spokesman, Lt Elvis Naidoo, condemned the officer’s response.
“Previous incidents have nothing to do with news cases opened. Police officers have to open a new case for every incident. The station will investigate the complaint and take due action,” Lt Naidoo said.
“I urge residents who experience the same sort of issues to contact the station or to write to the station commander,” Lt Naidoo added.
