PARKS located in ward 33 will be the focus of regular meetings between local ward councillor Mmabatho Tembe, officials from the Parks Department, members of Umbilo CPF and Metro Police to address issues affecting the public spaces.
Councillor Tembe called a meeting recently after receiving further complaints regarding car boot parties and by-law infringements at parks within the ward.
Complaints included issues around vagrancy, drinking, urinating and a couple engaging in sexual intercourse.
The parks receiving the most complaints included Bulwer Park, Allenby Gardens, Umbilo Park and Newstead Park.
Parks Department’s Jennifer Rampersad, as well as two parks enforcement officers and Umbilo CPF chair, Heather Rorick, attended the meeting at Bulwer Park, to plot a way forward regarding the issues raised.
Councillor Tembe said Metro Police were unable to attend.
READ RELATED: Car boot parties plague Umbilo Park
“At the meeting the issue came up that the Parks Department is very under resourced and that there are only two enforcement officers for four wards, from Morningside to the Bluff, which is quite a large area. The officers only work during the day. Metro Police need to assist then and at night if there are issues in local parks,” said Tembe.
Tembe said regular meetings with the parks enforcement officers to ensure issues at parks were being attended to were needed.
“The Parks Department deals with maintenance at the parks, but if there are parties in parks, like recently at Newstead Park in Umbilo, the department now has to increase its maintenance to deal with the aftermath of these parties, and they are under resourced as it is. We will continue to meet to raise awareness, find ideas to deal with issues and follow up to see whether what is being done is working,” she said.
Tembe said Metro Police did patrol the area, however more police presence was needed in hotspot areas.
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