Potch station commander ready for next chapter

Brigadier Steven Moodley, who has been a pillar in the South African Police Service (SAPS) for over forty years, is retiring. Moodley helped many police stations get back on their feet in his career, with Potchefstroom being one of them. Moodley was born on 20 April 1964 in Clairwood, Durban. The Moodley family later moved to Chatsworth where Moodley himself joined the police service on 16 September 1982. At this time, Moodley was 18 years old. “Many will say that they became a police officer to protect people, and that is true. But we also chose to be police officers for the uniform. Wearing a police uniform was a proud thing to do,” Moodley goes on to explain that his uncle was a police officer which inspired him to become one as well as he used to look up to his uncle.

Moodley served at Chatsworth police station from 1982 till 1989 after which he became the Regional Commissioner of Natal. In 1992 he was promoted from a Warrant Officer to a Station Commander. Moodley served as station commander at Rosebank police station in Johannesburg from 1994 to 2001. He was the station commander in Lenasia from 2001 to 2009. In 2009 Moodley became the station commander of Midrand police station, and from 2016 till 2018 he served as station commander at Kempton Park police station. In 2017 he served as station commander in Edenvale for a very short period. On 1 April 2018 Brigadier Moodley started at Potchefstroom police station, and wondered whether it might be an April Fools’ joke. Of all the stations Moodley served at, Rosebank ended up being his favourite. “Rosebank sticks out in my mind because we were able to implement sector policing and community policing in the new Democracy. It was difficult because people did not trust the police as a result of the police activity during the Apartheid years. It was very rewarding to be able to earn the trust of the people,” Moodley smiles in remembrance and states that Rosebank police station became the best station in the country. “We were an example for all the stations in the country. The exposure that our success gave us stood us in good stead in community policing. The story is not just police success, but of the police and community working together. I will always remember that station; I built it from the ground up. It was a three-bedroom house when I arrived, and it was a fully fledged station when I left.” “On arrival in Potch, I said to the staff that we can be the best performing police station in the district. Last year we were awarded best station in the province. Being a station commander, it is these things that sticks out,” Moodley says. Brigadier Moodley addresses the crime in Potch by stating that it is not that bad compared to stations and areas he has worked in before. He further addresses fake news by saying, “If you presume that a crime is going to happen, it does not make it a fact. Don’t spread rumours, you create panic by doing so. Don’t send pictures and videos of crimes around without a second thought. In most of these incidents, the footage is from another town or many years old.” He goes on to say that people live under the presumption that the SAPS can’t perform. “We have the highest rate of solving serial murders in the world. We are the 7th best performing police service in the world.” It gives Moodley immense pride that he could have spent his career as part of this institution and will continue to serve and protect where he can.