2 days ago
Ward councillor's legal action spurs probe into complaints of poor service at Maitland SAPS
A lawyer's letter sent to the Western Cape police commissioner by Maitland residents and their ward councillor has prompted an investigation into the alleged poor service at the local police station.
Two weeks ago, residents protested outside the Maitland police station demanding that the station commander, his management team and 'nonchalant' staff be removed as crime continues to escalate.
They also lobbied for the police station to 'immediately stop' shutting its doors after hours, making it nearly impossible for the community to seek assistance at those times.
The police denied that the station was not operational after hours.
At the time of the protest on 27 July, ward councillor Cheslyn Steenberg handed over a memorandum to a representative of Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile with a list of demands, and indicated that a response was needed within 14 days otherwise legal action would follow.
In the memorandum, residents expressed concern at the lack of visible policing, inactive crime prevention and uncontrolled crime. The residents said they were living in fear.
The 14-day deadline passed without a response from Patekile, prompting Steenberg to send a lawyer's letter to the commissioner, demanding the immediate removal of the current Maitland police station commander, among other things.
'Not only was it very disrespectful of the police commissioner to not even acknowledge receipt of the memorandum, but we have not been given any update [on] what will be done to remedy the concerns we are facing,' said Steenberg.
'We [gave him] seven days to react to this letter or we will see him in court. No time for jokes, our lives matter! Our ward matters and we matter,' said Steenberg.
He said it was only when legal action was taken that Patekile responded to residents' concerns.
Some of their demands included:
The immediate removal of the current Maitland police station commander;
A full review of the station's operational performance and a public report back on the measures to improve the station; and
Increased visible policing and police accountability.
On 13 August, Patekile wrote back to Steenberg, saying: 'This office had undertaken an investigation process for all the allegations. The investigations are still continuing.'
However, the police visibility has been increased through deployment of district police task teams,' read Patekile's response.
Patekile said the police were engaging with the community policing forum to improve community relations.
Western Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said: 'The concerns raised about the precinct and its policing require further engagement with the affected community's role-players on board.'
'The office of the provincial commissioner recognises the role that various stakeholders play in policing matters. In relation to internal matters, they are currently being attended to as a matter of urgency,' said Potelwa.
While residents have welcomed the investigation into the Maitland police station, some have questioned why legal action had to be taken before the South African Police Service (SAPS) intervened.
READ | 'Keep the suspect until tomorrow': Residents claim Maitland SAPS shuts up shop at 17:00
'It's quite sad that our ward councillor had to go down this legal route to get some sort of outcome from the commissioner. We just want to feel safe in the area where we live,' said resident Merlin Jacobs.
Another resident, Caleb Jansen, asked: 'How will we get crime under control if our police stations are closed to the public after hours? It's insane and a violation of the oath they (police) took to serve and protect their country.'
In response, the police said, 'After office hours, most of our police stations implement access control, and Maitland SAPS is no exception.'
'These measures are in place to ensure the safety of our members and should not be interpreted as the closure of a police station,' police said.
Steenberg said if Patekile didn't respond to the community's memorandum this week, he would 'see him in court'.
