Unenthusiastic and unhelpful is not the sort of attitude one would expect from police after reporting a robbery.
But according to a staff member from a Bank Road business, police showed no interest when attending a scene where three 20-litre drums of diesel was stolen on Thursday night.
One of the staff members who did not want to be named said that a call was made at 9.15pm but police arrived at 11.30pm.
“When the officers arrived, they were so unenthusiastic that they did not even get off their vehicle. They did not inspect the property or look out for the suspects. They took statements while they were seated in their vehicle, this showed that they lacked any concern,” she said.
The staff member was disappointed that police treated their case “as petty” and when questioned, the police allegedly claimed they would track down the suspects on “the other road.”
“There is no other road here, there’s only a river. A private security vehicle followed the police van when they left our premises and reported that they travelled straight back to the station, they did not look for the suspects. On Friday morning the staff found a pipe and it was evident that the suspects were hiding close by. If the police got off their vehicle, get out there, as relevant people relevant questions, they can combat crime. They should start doing what they are getting paid to do,” added the staff member.
Her concerns were relayed to police spokesperson Captain JS Sokhela who advises the public to report such incidents to the Station Commander so that a written complaint can be submitted, which would be addressed by the station management.
“This has to be dealt with in terms of police regulations. I do not think it serves any purpose for anyone to run to the media if they are not satisfied with services.
There are also structures in the community that can assist.
People are reluctant to attend Community Police Forum meetings where such issues are addressed and ways of dealing with them are discussed,” commented Captain Sokhela.