Polokwane police face questions over 3 hour crash delay
Polokwane police are facing questions after officers allegedly failed to reach a crash scene for three hours. One driver was injured and taken to hospital.
POLOKWANE – Police face questions over their response to a vehicle collision in the city last Thursday morning, after officers reportedly had not arrived at the scene three hours after the incident.
The incident involved two vehicles, with one vehicle blocking a lane in Dorp Street and the other blocking a lane in Grobler Street. One of the drivers was injured and transported to hospital.
By the time Polokwane Observer arrived at the scene, three traffic vehicles were present.
Traffic officials often attend scenes
Traffic officials on the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they frequently have to attend to scenes while waiting for police.
One traffic official said police had only one vehicle available in the city that morning and that it was attending to another incident outside Polokwane.
The injured driver was discharged from hospital before police arrived at the scene, according to information provided to the Observer.
Legal requirements
The delay has raised questions about the capacity of the police to respond to crashes involving injuries, particularly given the legal responsibilities placed on police at such scenes.
Section 61 of the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 provides for the duties of a driver involved in a collision and requires certain information and reporting where a person is killed or injured.
Police attendance is required where an collision involves injuries or fatalities, and vehicles may need to remain at the scene pending the necessary investigation.
With traffic incidents regularly reported across the city, emergency groups frequently receive requests for police, traffic officials and ambulances to attend crash scenes.
Police response: ‘Noted’
Polokwane Observer approached Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, the provincial head of corporate communication and liaison, for comment on the reported shortage of police vehicles and why officers had seemingly not reached the scene after three hours.
Mashaba responded that the enquiry was noted, but no further explanation had been received by the time of publication.
