Still no permanent solution to Florida Detectives’ work space problems
Councillor Finn, Samantha, and Florida CPF Chairperson Prashan Sukhu visited the station again on Monday, 5 October to conduct an oversight and see if any progress had been made, but were left disappointed and angry at what they found.
The abhorrent conditions of the Florida Detectives’ working environment have seen little to no improvement since the problems began in late 2018.
The Detectives Unit of the Florida Police has encountered numerous issues with regard to a new workspace since they were given notice that the lease for the building they had once used would not be renewed. The detectives have worked on a construction site, in flooded conditions, and in cramped conditions and have still received no resolution from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).
In October 2019, Ward 70 councillor Caleb Finn contacted the DA Shadow Deputy Minister for Public Works and Infrastructure (Samantha Graham-Maré) in hopes that she would be able to help escalate the issue to a national level. The office of Patricia de Lille, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, responded to Samantha’s queries in February, saying that six park homes would be delivered to the Florida Police Station for the detectives to work from. However, six months later the homes have still not been delivered.
Also read: Florida Detective Unit’s working conditions remain undesirable
Samantha said that a recent response from DWPI to her follow-ups stated that there had been a disconnect between the police, DPWI and City of Johannesburg (CoJ) regarding the planning permissions and requirements for the station, but these had apparently been resolved and the Department was said to be moving forward with the installation of the park homes. Samantha further stated that the Acting Station Commander had confirmed that architects from DPWI recently visited the station as part of the planning process, but no further information had been given since then.
Councillor Finn, Samantha, and Florida CPF Chairperson Prashan Sukhu visited the station again on Monday, 5 October to conduct an oversight and see if any progress had been made, but were left disappointed and angry at what they found. Samantha referred to the working conditions of the detectives as even more untenable than when she had last visited, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic placing further constraints on the detectives’ operations.
The cramped conditions that the detectives had been working in presented an issue when it came to the social distancing regulations, and they are therefore forced to work in shifts, alternating between one day on and one day off. Due to the nature of their work, the detectives are unable to work from home, which means that their ability to solve cases efficiently is severely impacted by the fewer working hours. “This is totally unacceptable,” stated Samantha. There is also a concern that there is nowhere to situate them at the Florida Police Station.
Following their site visit, Caleb and Prashan drove around Florida CBD with Samantha, showing her the several empty buildings that could possibly be used to house the Detectives Branch.
Samantha said that her next step would be writing to the Acting Director General of the DPWI to inquire as to why there have been no investigations into alternatives work spaces and the factors that have prevented the Department from signing leases with landlords of possible new office space. “I will keep on asking the questions and pushing for answers to this, as the people of Florida are being affected by the inability of the Detectives Branch to operate optimally as a result of a lack of adequate office space,” concluded Samantha.
The office of De Lille has been approached for comment but by the time of publication, none had been received. An update will be published as soon as the DPWI has sent their statement.
