Recurring power outages lasting up to two to three weeks at a time are disrupting operations at the building housing the detectives and FLASH units at Sinoville SAPS, with staff forced to work in dark offices and travel to other stations for limited computer access — a situation sources say is worsening already strained firearm license and permit processing.

According to reliable sources, police members and detectives are being forced to work in pitch-black offices.

“It makes doing our job incredibly hard because we can’t simply come in and focus on what needs to be done. We either sit in the dark without access to vital resources, or we take dockets to other police offices and try to find a computer to work from,” a source said.

The source said their hands are tied and that the disruptions are delaying the entire process, leaving firearm license applicants — and cases requiring urgent attention — to bear the brunt.

He added that members are “caught in the middle”, with senior officials demanding progress on one side and a frustrated public waiting for answers on the other.

Meanwhile, transporting dockets between stations increases the risk of misplacement or loss, potentially stalling investigations and further delaying time-sensitive applications.

A source said the detectives and FLASH units are operating from rented premises owned by a private individual, that the building is in dire need of renovations, and that the Department of Public Works is allegedly months in arrears on the electricity account.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi told Rekord that management is aware of the electricity problem at the building that accommodates the detectives and FLASH units of SAPS Sinoville.

“The matter has been escalated to the Department of Public Works, which is the custodian of the building. There are measures in place to ensure that service delivery is not hampered,” she said.

Also read: Young Pretoria newlyweds killed in horror N3 head-on crash

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.