A lack of visible policing, serious crimes not being registered or properly investigated, and police officers who quite literally sleep on the job are some of the complaints levelled against the Algoa Park police precinct.
Residents have voiced their frustration as crime in the area continues to skyrocket.
When a resident who had apprehended a burglar recently went to the police station for help, he found a police officer fast asleep in the charge office.
It was the last straw.
Cellphone footage of the incident has infuriated residents, who now want to shut down the Algoa Park police station.
Numerous meetings with management to try to find a solution, as well as a petition signed by more than 300 people,, have seemingly proved unsuccessful.
Residents have raised complaints that:
- Cases are not registered or properly investigated;
- The police station is closed at 8pm most nights;
- Police officers are poorly trained;
- There is a lack of visible policing in the area;
- Calls to the station go unanswered;
- Not enough patrols are conducted in the area; and
- There is a shortage of vehicles and staff.
Those who signed the petition specifically raise complaints about an increase in crimes like housebreaking, breaking into motor vehicles, theft, robberies, cable theft and the drug trade.
Algoa Park Neighbourhood Watch president Mario Zeelie accused the police of sleeping on the job and allowing crime to continue unabated.
He recently filmed a woman police officer who he said was fast asleep and snoring in the charge office when he went to the police station for help.
“We were out doing patrols when a suspect who had broken into a house was apprehended in Rochester Street,” Zeelie said.
“I phoned the station to alert them about what had happened, but when nobody answered the phone I went there myself.
“When I arrived at the police station somewhere between 11pm and midnight, it was completely dark.
“That is when I saw the police officer sleeping.
“I could not believe my eyes and decided to film the incident as proof.”
According to Zeelie, the woman only woke up when he started speaking loudly.
He reported the incident to the relevant authorities but was not told whether any steps were taken against her.
Eastern Cape Community Police Forum treasurer-general Timothy Hendricks confirmed that an investigation was launched into the sleeping policewoman and that the residents’ petition landed on the desk of acting district commissioner, Brigadier Thandiswa Kupiso.
According to Hendricks, residents have been complaining about poor service delivery at the Algoa Park police station for more than two years.
He said he had been present at two meetings where residents raised their grievances, but nothing appeared to have been done since then to remedy the problems.
“While this officer was sleeping, anyone could have come into the station where guns are kept to rob or ransack the place.
“How on earth is the community supposed to feel safe when they see things like this?”
Hendricks called on provincial police to intervene urgently.
Algoa Park resident Ayub Abrahams said residents who fell victim to crime had become accustomed to the fact that very few of the cases were ever investigated to a point that someone was prosecuted.
When they do go to report a crime, they have little hope that an arrest will be made.
He said he reported a complaint against the police in 2021 when a rape complainant was allegedly made to wait for hours at the station because the officer on duty at the time seemingly did not know how to take down her statement.
“To add to this woman’s trauma, she [allegedly] was made to wait until an officer who was on the night shift arrived.
“When you do get through on the phone, you are [allegedly] always told there are no vehicles to tend to complaints, or that there are no staff.”
In their petition, residents said they were living in fear and suffering as a result of police not doing their jobs.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana confirmed that an internal hearing was conducted after allegations were made about the police officer sleeping on the job.
Not divulging any details, he said the matter had since been finalised.
Internal hearings are deemed private and no details are given to the media.
Kinana further confirmed that a petition was handed over by the community, but denied that the station closed at night.
“While SA Police Service management has the responsibility to ensure the safety of the members on duty at the station, arrangements have always been made to ensure that this does not deny access to the community who need their services.
“SAPS management in the Nelson Mandela Bay district will be engaging with community leaders in the area with a view to finding a lasting solution to the existing challenges between the disputing community groups.”
Kinana said police in the Eastern Cape remained committed to giving satisfactory service to residents.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.