Clairwood councillor urges residents to report law violations correctly
Ward 32 PR councillor, Sharmaine Sewshanker, recently paid an oversight visit to the Metro Police Satellite station in Clairwood and has provided the community with the proper procedure on reporting illegal misconduct or offences.
CLAIRWOOD is an area characterised by poor service delivery and lack of law enforcement.
Ward 32 PR councillor, Sharmaine Sewshanker, recently paid an oversight visit to the Metro Police Satellite station in Clairwood and has provided the community with the proper procedure on reporting illegal misconduct or offences.
“The satellite station covers a vast area of the southern and eastern regions of eThekwini which includes Bluff, Montclair, Seaview, Merebank and Clairwood. The community must understand that the satellite unit in Clairwood does not entertain or log walk-in complaints. The Metro Head office is in Chatsworth.
“Residents must call the emergency call centre on the number on 031-361-0000 for all emergencies. This includes the Fire, Metro Police and Disaster management department. Residents must insist on a reference number and provide the call centre agent with relevant information as required in order for them to determine the seriousness of your call.
“It is important to be as factual as possible and let the agent know which area you are calling from. There are only two vehicles and four staff members assigned to Clairwood and Metro Police response time would be based on the nature of the emergency. All calls logged from Clairwood to the emergency call centre will be despatched from Chatsworth,” she said.
Sewshanker also explained that Metro officers assigned to Clairwood also do routine scholar patrol duties from 7am to 8am as well as at 12.30pm and 2.30pm on Monday to Friday. They also conduct enforcement duties from 11am to 1pm as well as 4pm to 5pm on most heavy traffic routes in the southern areas.
“I am inundated with daily calls from residents with incidents of truck violations, noise disruptions from business operations, illegal dumping and illegal business operations in Clairwood. I want to urge residents to report these violations directly to the emergency call centre and follow up on the issues. Too many residents report a crime but do not want to provide evidence and statements to back up the reports.
“In order to get a successful prosecution, the complainant must be available as a witness if the matter goes to court. Too many cases get thrown out due to non-attendance by the complainant. This allows the perpetrators back on the streets and gives them carte blanche to continue with the offences.
“Metro police is the city law enforcement unit and must serve the residents of eThekwini. I am available to advise and assist residents on how to get the relevant authorities to respond provided that they have a reference number for the complaint. It must be noted that I cannot log a complaint on behalf of residents.”
To get in touch with Sewshanker, call or WhatsApp her on 079-505-8505.
