The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) is calling on the national government to take urgent action over conditions at the KwaThema police station, in Ekurhuleni. The police station was allegedly found to be in a dilapidated state, had a shortage of police, lack of office spaces for detectives, and was operating with only one vehicle.
The call comes after ActionSA Member of Parliament and member of police portfolio committee Dereleen James conducted an unannounced visit at the station last Friday.
During the visit, that she filmed in a video and posted on her social media platforms, she expressed disbelief over the state of the police station, which she said was supposed to serve the community and combat crime.
James said when she entered the police station client service centre, she was greeted by doors covered with plastic as a result of broken glasses, and a deteriorated building.
Oversight visit at a place they call Kwathema Police Station. 1 van, 18 detectives sharing 1 office, 1 computer, cases captured in a book, cells aren’t operational, CSC operates with extension cord. Can we urgently get a mobile station and vehicles assigned to this community? pic.twitter.com/Ee7OmSNwmj
“I can’t not believe this…only one vehicle serving all the sectors here and what’s worse is that there’s no electricity here,” she said in the video.
She claimed that the police station uses an extension cord to get power supply.
James voiced concern with the lack of privacy at the client service centre, where people report crimes in a small, crowded space with wooden benches for people to sit on.
“I just went into the detectives office and (I found out that) 18 detectives are sitting in one office. There’s not even cells here,” she said.
James added that the cells are in poor condition and that when suspects are arrested, they have to be taken to a nearby police station.
She also complained about the storage of case dockets, stating that they are placed in a table where they could easily get stolen and lost.
Meanwhile, Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo told IOL News that the revelations that James highlighted in the video reflect the challenges faced by police stations across the country.
He said the union has long been concerned about the unequal allocation of resources across police stations, with rural and township areas lacking resources compared to those in affluent areas.
“This has in most cases created an impression to communities that police are lazy, while in reality they are under-capacitated,” Mamabolo said.
He said that the union has raised the issue with different ministers and commissioners, but budget cuts by the Treasury remain a persistent barrier to improvement.
Mamabolo called for urgent attention from the national government to address the challenges faced by the station.
Questions were sent to Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo, regarding the issue and were not received before the article was published.
IOL