The Yeoville SAPS acting station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Herman Jeffrey Meyer, said the main problems at schools in the Yeoville SAPS precinct are drugs and bullying.
“Drugs and bullying are the main problems in our schools. Children need to go to school knowing that no one will bully them or that there is someone who will force them to take drugs,” he said.
He said drug dealers target children at schools especially during lunch time.
“We need our community to work with us and give information that will help us catch these criminals,” he said.
He urged parents to give their children time.
“Know your child. Allow your child to talk to you and trust you. Do not talk to your child only when you are reprimanding him or her. This will help you detect if there is any problems, or if your child is using drugs,” he said.
Lt Col Meyer said the police have different ways of dealing with children when problems are reported to them.
“We want you to know that the police are here to help you. We have facilities we can take your child to in order to redirect them back to education and away from crime,” he said.
He said children involved in crime and drugs may be sent to rehabilitation or juvenile correctional centres.
“I would like to see the children going to school with no fear of bullies or drug dealers,” he said.
Lt Col Meyer yearns for the day when the community and the police will trust each other.
“Police are trusted at night time. When people to go bed, they just close their eyes as they know someone is driving a van, patrolling the area. I often wish that this trust could continue to the next day. As soon as the sun comes up, the finger pointing starts again,” he said.
Lt Col Meyer said the allegations about police corruption and inefficiency has to be dealt with case by case.
“If we can individualise these issues, we can take them to the relevant authorities. Bring your complaints to use, the station management. We will make sure that we deal with them to the best of our abilities.
“If you do not trust the policeman in front of you, go to the one you feel comfortable with. Report crime, including the one that is allegedly committed by other police officers. That way we will be able to rebuilt trust between the police and the community and root out crime in our area,” said Lt Col Meyer.
