Sebenza SAPS accused of unsatisfactory service

Members of the Modderfontein Neighbourhood Watch said officers from Sebenza SAPS have ignored pleas for police intervention in several cases.

Neighbourhood Watch members Stefan Rheeder and Kevin Fisher told the NEWS that several complaints from residents and businesses in the Modderfontein and surrounding areas were either not attended to or laughed off by officers at the Sebenza Police Station.

They said issues between Modderfontein Neighbourhood Watch and the Sebenza SAPS have been ongoing for a long time.

ALSO READ: Seven suspects arrested during operation in Kempton Park

According to Rheeder, it is only when issues are escalated through the neighbourhood watch to SAPS management that they are dealt with.

“In many cases, officers arriving on scene refuse to open cases for victims,” he said.

Rheeder added that in the last five years, there had been an increase in crime in the area.

“On one occasion, an armed robbery was reported and residents and security were told there was no vehicle available to assist.

“In other cases, when officers did respond, they refused to open cases,” Rheeder said.

“No one is held accountable for these actions. There have been incidents where it has taken three hours for officers to respond to an armed robbery,” said Fisher.

He added that every incident had to be reported twice before anything was done.

“It’s a waste of resources. Why do the officers need to come out here twice for the same complaint?” Fisher said.

Rheeder said that in instances when security companies make arrests and call the SAPS, they simply do not arrive.

“We have CCTV footages of incidents that have never been collected by investigating officers,” he said.

Fisher added that there were several successes resulting from the LPR camera system in Modderfontein but, “We just don’t get help from the SAPS.

“This is something that needs to be addressed,” Fisher said.

Sebenza SAPS responds
Spokesperson for the Sebenza SAPS Sgt Sharon Tsotsotso said the station does not deny that, like any other organisation, there are bad apples.

She added that victims of crime who are not satisfied with the service they received from the Sebenza SAPS should submit written formal complaints to the station commander either in person or by email.

“Third parties cannot complain on behalf of a victim,” Tsotsotso said.

She denied that is it only when issues are reported to the SAPS by neighbourhood watch that they are dealt with.

“The reality is that members of the community raise issues publicly. It just so happens that Mr Rheeder and Mr Fisher have previously worked closely with the police. This gives them the privilege to pick up on complaints and bring the complaints to the station’s attention.

“Community members do have direct access to the station management to raise their issues,” Tsotsotso said.

She added that there had been previous meetings as far back as 2019 and 2020 with Fisher and Rheeder where the opening of cases was raised.

“The station commander communicated in one meeting that the police members of Sebenza have been instructed to take statements for all cases reported when they are called out.

“Sebenza SAPS members were instructed that the statement will then be handed over to the detective commander to decide on whether a case should be opened and give feedback directly to the victim or complainant,” Tsotsotso said.

She said that Sebenza SAPS does have a complaints process in place.

“The community depends on us to provide a service and if it is not happy with the service, we need to know about it. Residents are encouraged to follow the processes to ensure that their complaints are dealt with in a timeous manner.”

Sebenza CPF weighs in
Chairperson for the Sebenza CPF Andrew Mosesi told the NEWS that all neighbourhood watch groups fall under the structures of the CPF.

“We do not have a neighbourhood watch group registered and vetted through the CPF for the Modderfontein area,” he said.

Mosesi added that in some of the cases referred to by Fisher and Rheeder, the victims refused to open cases.

“The attempted robbery mentioned dates back to 2019 or 2020, when management at the station contacted the victim but she said she was fine and did not want to open a case.

“We explained that it was important that these types of incidents were brought to the attention of the police so that an alert would be sent out should the suspects try it somewhere else with another victim. The victim refused to open a case.

“The SAPS cannot force anyone to open a case,” Mosesi said.

Speaking on evidence not collected by officers, the chairperson said every reported case is allocated to a detective and it is possible that the detective assigned to the case is not aware of the footage.

“The victim must contact the detective handling their case and advise the officer if they have any knowledge of new evidence or footage and insist that the detective collects the footage.”

He added that residents and victims of crime who experienced unsatisfactory service from any member of the Sebenza SAPS must follow the complaints procedure.

“A victim or complainant must deliver or email their complaint to the SAPS. There may not be any third parties involved in the complaints process. Feedback will only be given to the complainant, not a third party,” Mosesi said.

Also follow us on: