EDITOR – I have been following your reports on the investigations at the Edenvale Police Station and now Carte Blanche will also do a story on the station.
As a resident, I believe there are other reasons why this police station is made out to be the worst.
I have no affiliation to the Edenvale police, however I have a brother in the service and know how these things can affect all the officers and the morale at a station.
I’m sure there are bad apples at this station, like in any organisation, business and family (we all have that one cousin nobody wants to invite).
However, another reason for Edenvale cops now being made out as the worst is also because the Edenvale Community Police Forum has, for months, been taken over by people with their own agendas.
We are all aware of the shenanigans at the CPF in recent months.
The CPF is stuck in a fight with DA councillors and not stuck in helping, on behalf of the community, or working with the police to fight crime.
I mean, who can forget the shoebox camera meeting?
What a joke!
I’m confident the Bedfordview SAPS has as many problems and yet there is no Carte Blanche team rushing to that station.
Is it maybe because Bedfordview ward councillors and the Bedfordview CPF chairman work together with the police?
It seems the politics and infighting at the CPF and between the CPF chair and the DA has made its way to the station.
At what cost?
Us the residents and now also the morale of every cop, good or bad, at Edenvale.
Add to this the ongoing unsubstantiated allegations against the cops being posted on social media, especially all the Edenvale Facebook pages and WhatsApp groups and you have a recipe for a total breakdown of an officer’s morale.
I dread to think how this will affect the morale of Edenvale cops.
Maybe if CPF meetings had more to do with crime and less with serving personal and political agendas, then maybe things would have been different.
From what I gather the show will be about racial abuse and brutality.
If the CPF stops cancelling meetings because of shoebox cameras and instead have meetings as they should, then Edenvale will have no need do its dirty washing in public.
If it served its purpose, residents would have been able to address complaints through the CPF.
But that’s not possible if meetings are cancelled because of uninvited shoe boxes.
Further to this, Edenvale will ultimately suffer as a community with no investor or new home owner even looking at us twice.
CONCERNED EDENVALE RESIDENT,
CATLOV KITZINGER, EDENVALE.
(The writer of this letter gave permission for his name to be published after comment had been received).
DA comments
Member of Parliament for the DA, MP Mike Waters, commented as follows:
I have been asked to respond to your letter in which you raised concerns about the Edenvale Police Station and the Edenvale Community Police Forum (ECPF).
I would like to keep my response to that of the Edenvale Police Station.
It is unfortunate that there are, as you state, “bad apples at this (Edenvale) station, as the overwhelming majority of police men and women at the Edenvale Police Station are above reproach and let us face it, put their lives on the line every day for you and me.
It should then make us all the more determined, as the Edenvale community, to root out the few bad apples at the station, for if we fail to do so or simply ignore what is allegedly going on, we tarnish the reputation of all 149 police officers at the station. This we should not allow to happen.
I believe in supporting our men and women in blue and that is why as a Member of Parliament for 16 years, I and the DA Councillors have on an annual basis visited the Edenvale Police Station at least once a year to find out for ourselves what the working conditions are at the station and where we can help.
To this end, I have asked dozens of question in Parliament pertaining to the lack of vehicles, lack of manpower, bullet proof vests, the number of dockets each detective is carrying, the length of time it takes to repair vehicles, fitness of police officers, attendance of mandatory shooting practice, lack of cleaning staff and the conditions at the single quarters.
We, as the DA, do this because we care about our police.
The flip side to this is that I and many members of the community will not allow a few police officers who, allegedly, are bribing residents, intimidating them and assaulting them to carry on with impunity.
It is our duty as a community to protect the integrity of the Edenvale Police Station.
To this end, I have asked the Minister of Police a question in Parliament with regards to the current investigations of alleged assaults, corruption and bribery, which I am still waiting for a reply.
I have also made a public appeal on Twitter and Facebook (which I reiterate here) that anyone who has been a victim of any corruption, bribery or abuse to contact me personally on 082 902 4523 and I will take it up directly with the Minister of Police.
I do this not to tarnish the image of the Edenvale Police station but to restore and protect it.
Edenvale CPF comments
Chairperson for the Edenvale Community Police Forum (ECPF) Mrs Linda McKenzie commented as follows:
Dear concerned resident, (nameless as well!).
It is not easy to address a person who is nameless; you have just done the same as you have accused the CPF of doing, please justify your allegations.
You are welcome to contact the CPF to discuss your concerns, as many residents do on a daily basis.
We are here to serve the community and bridge the gap between the community and the SAPS; there is a lot of work being done.
We as a CPF are passionate about our town and the prevention of crime.
If you bring a situation to us you can be assured we will look into this for you.
We remain a-political, and are here to serve the Edenvale community.
We do not hold the actions of a few “bad officers” against the other fantastic SAPS officers we have at Edenvale.
You do know that those “bad apples” need to be thrown out though.
We challenge you to become involved with the ECPF and SAPS and come help make a difference in the community.
We, the Edenvale CPF, thank all the good police officers out there who put their lives in danger on a daily basis to protect our community.
Well done guys.
Please feel free to contact me directly on 083 973 7093 or at lindamckenzie04@gmail.com
