Let’s be blunt here, there is no excuse that Elandslaagte police station can give to justify why they had no vehicle to respond to a 70-year-old woman being raped.

Five vehicles are allocated to the station. Even if all five were out, at least one could have been re-deployed from taking a police statement or routine patrol, etc.

This begs the question: Exactly where were all five vehicles? Also, where are all of Ladysmith’s vehicles? Are they too busy transporting officers to and from shops, and to and from their homes so they can report on duty?

Several police stations in KZN have banned the fetching of police officers from their homes so they can report on duty. So why is this still being done in the Ladysmith Cluster? Why do so many police officers take vehicles home, especially if they are not on standby?

There should never be a reason a police vehicle is out of its area. Why is it that so many people report seeing Besters, Elandslaagte and Van Reenen police vehicles in Ladysmith?  We are not talking about parked outside the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court or the police station, but in shopping centre parking bays.

I think police officers need to start being held accountable for the mileage they drive and where they are at all times. If EMRS can track every ambulance they have within the district and tell you exactly where it is, whether it is parked or moving, then surely the SAPS should be able to do the same.

So I make this appeal to everyone in Ladysmith to use your cell-phone cameras for good! Every time you see an out-of-town police vehicle in town, photograph it and send it to me. I am looking for photos of them in shopping malls and at fast food outlets. I want every out-of-town police officer to feel that, at any minute, they may need to justify their presence in Ladysmith to a senior officer.

The same goes for our own cops. A police van full of groceries is a crime and I want that officer, whoever he or she  is, to feel what it’s like to drive in the back of that very van – because he or she is a disgrace to the truly hardworking officers who put their lives on the line every day.

I am calling this project ‘Cameras for Justice’. We will forward all photos to the SAPS for comment. We will also open a special gallery dedicated to these officers of justice.

editorldy@dbn.caxton.co.za