A celebration of culture at Honeydew Police Station

Honeydew’s men and women in blue spectacularly celebrated Heritage Month, donning cultural clothing at the Honeydew Police Station recently.

Officers and admin staff from a variety of backgrounds wore the bright colours and fashions of their heritage in celebration of the many backgrounds of those who make up the South African Police Service.

Station spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan said that it is important for members of the public who visit the station’s customer service centre to see some of the officers dressed this way. “We as officers are put in a place of authority, and for the public, there is very often a perceived disconnection between the people we are and the job we have to do. Our community needs to realise that our members come from the community, and they belong to the community.”

He added that most importantly, the officers and staff of the station are human beings who also have feelings and respect for the feelings and cultures of the community they serve. “Community members need to realise that we are there to help them and provide them with a service, and give them peace of mind.”

He explained that days such as Heritage Day or the upcoming 16 Days of Activism should continue permanently.

“We should celebrate our heritage continually, not just in one month of the year. And in the same vein, having a day or month to focus on eradicating the prevalence of domestic violence, rape and child abuse should also be observed throughout the year. This is the goal that we as the Honeydew police are trying to achieve,” concluded Muthan.