Sector police have no right to speak for all

EDITOR – I am placing on record that I completely and unreservedly disassociate myself, in my capacity as member of the community and that of eThekwini ward 97 committee, from the recent, so-called vote of no confidence in the South African Police Service Amanzimtoti.
This vote, by less than 20 people of the non-elected police sector committees, is very irresponsible and could lead people not wanting to make use of the SAPS protection and thereby endangering the lives of innocent people.
Until the ward councillor Andre Beetge breaks his silence and calls for the ward committee to take a position on this issue, we must accept that the muteness of the rest of the committee is an indication of their respect of my position on the issue.
This SAPS branch serves a far greater area than just the few coastal suburbs and in fact, the policing region extends south as far as Umgababa as well as west, way beyond Old Main Road. This vote of no confidence in eManzimtoti SAPS comes from a few citizens residing in the more affluent suburbs of the SAPS eManzimtoti responsibility area. The eManzimtoti SAPS sector groupings consist of a handful of people who as far as I know are not elected, but more likely invited. The guests, on arrival at these meetings, enter their names on an attendance register and Bob’s your uncle, they become sector committee members.
If your voice is heard long enough at these meetings, you could become its chairman or secretary. Are these allegations against the SAPS eManzimtoti sufficient grounds to write off the entire staff complement of police officers of the branch? Why did these self-appointed representatives not consult the larger community in this regard? I was also shown documentation indicating that less than 20 people voted on the issue and the result was far from an unanimous decision.
This protest may have a measure of justification, but is seasoned with suspicion of links to parliamentarian Diane Kohler-Barnard’s call for an investigation based on similar a citing.
For one of the allegations there is supposedly an admission and that is of a policeman who admits snapping a lock in a complex he co-owns in terms of the Sectional Title Act.
Surely this body corporate incident has arbitration channels for the purpose? The head-butting allegations where a police officer allegedly assaulted a councillor triggered Diane Kohler-Barnard to call for investigations into the policing cluster that eManzimtoti SAPS is part of.
The town leadership was not consulted in this regard unless certain representatives of the community knew of the dissent, but preferred to remain silent. Protesting unilaterally without prior notice to a very large community raises serious doubts surrounding the integrity of the action.
Any small number may protest, but when it comes to considering a vote of no confidence in an office that serves the broader community, it should have input from the majority of citizens.
FRANK HORN
eManzimtoti