Shoddy service at the Yeoville police station in Johannesburg — experienced first-hand by a Gauteng provincial minister last month — is being attended to, the department of community safety heard on Wednesday.
Safety minister Firoz Cachalia met with police management and the Yeoville community policing forum to discuss how to improve the conduct and attitude of Yeoville police members.
”We want to ensure that we have a station that is well-resourced, delivers good service and enjoys the confidence of the community,” Cachalia said.
The minister had been shocked by his experience at the station last month, when he had to intervene personally before a nine-year-old rape victim was helped, and her rapist arrested.
Cachalia was exposed to the functioning of Yeoville’s police station while spending an evening with the flying squad during the 16 Days of Activism on No Violence against Women and Children campaign.
The situation ”needs serious attention”, he said at the time. He had found the condition of the station to be unacceptable.
Various steps have been taken to improve the situation, Johannesburg area commissioner Oswald Reddy told Cachalia at Wednesday’s meeting:
More management positions have been created, to better control and supervise the officers.
The conduct of officers on the night in question is being officially investigated.
There are plans to build a new station in the suburb.
There will be further meetings between Cachalia and police management to ensure that all problems are systematically addressed, departmental spokesperson Phumla Mthala said.
The suburb is a high crime area. — Sapa