Police commander’s promotion welcomed

The Benoni Community Policing Forum (CPF) has welcomed the promotion of Ekurhuleni Central Cluster commander, Brig Poobalan Subbiah, to the rank of Major-General.

Maj-Gen Poobalan Subbiah.

CPF executive chairperson for the Ekurhuleni Central Cluster, Reza Patel, said the CPF welcomes the promotion of the “career policeman”.

“We are overjoyed,” Patel said.

“We have worked with him and he has proved his salt.

“We support him fully.”

Patel said the permanent appointment – as well as the recent appointment of Brig Johan Jacobs as station commander of the Benoni Police Station – gives the cluster stability and “closes the void”.

Subbiah, who is a Farrarmere resident, was previously acting commander of the Ekurhuleni Central Cluster.

He now has the mandate to sign off on matters he previously needed to have approved by a policeman holding the rank of Maj-Gen, such as operational expenditure for overtime operations.

Subbiah said there was no delay in obtaining approval for operational matters he could not sign off on previously, but said he now has powers to do so himself.