The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on the National Police Commissioner to urgently address infrastructure and resourcing challenges at the Jan Kempdorp police station, to combat a flare up of shebeen violence in the area.
A fatal weekend shooting at a shebeen, in which two people were killed and one injured, is the latest crime to rock the community. It follows an explosion at another shebeen, a few weeks earlier, during which one person was killed and 14 injured.
While it is critical that SAPS does more to combat crime at illegal liquor outlets in the Phokwane municipal area, police management must do more to equip police officers for this task.
An oversight inspection to the Jan Kempdorp police station, exposed the neglected state of the facility and its yard, reflecting the low morale of police officers and the public’s lack of confidence in policing services.
There is no visible signage identifying the station, the facility lacks enough office space and the wooden floors are unsafe. The Victim Friendly Room is inadequate and lacks bathroom and child friendly resources, while the station has four bathrooms which are shared with the community. The telephone system is often offline and there are no security cameras. The station also has a shortage of torches and radios.
The Community Service Centre (CSC) was found unmanned during the visit, with only one administrative official present, while a police officer assisted elsewhere. The station faces staffing shortages, with vacancies impacting frontline services.
In addition, only nine of the 14 allocated vehicles are operational, with one boarded and four in the garage. Detectives must share vehicles, with between two and three allocated to a vehicle. Six police officers further lack state authority to drive.
The situation is not conducive to addressing the escalating level of crime in Jan Kempdorp, particularly at illegal liquor outlets.
I have requested the National Commissioner to submit a written response on interventions, including urgent infrastructure repair and maintenance, filling of vacancies to strengthen CSC staffing, provision of essential policing resources, and increasing the number of authorised drivers for state vehicles, by the end of September.
It is time for SAPS to arrest the increasing crime epidemic that is killing people and stifling legitimate businesses.