Dukathole the perfect host for National Police Day
The Germiston SAPS hosted their National Police Day celebration at the Dukathole sports grounds.
The Germiston SAPS, together with the Bedfordview SAPS Flying Squad, the Elsburg SAPS, the Alberton SAPS, the Primrose SAPS, the SAPS Mounted Unit from Boksburg, the K9 Unit, the EMPD, Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS), and the military gathered at the Dukathole sports grounds recently to celebrate National Police Day.
Learners from Ekurhuleni Primary School and members of the Dukathole community were among those invited by the police to join them in celebrating the day.
In recent SAPS crime statistics, Dukathole was highlighted as having high rates of criminal activity.
With this in mind, the Germiston SAPS saw this as an opportunity to address the community and assure them of the assistance they would continue to provide.
The SAPS hoped to build a relationship which would see community members helping in crime prevention and the apprehension of culprits.
Ward 35 councillor Oupa Tshabalala thanked the Germiston SAPS for choosing Dukathole for their event.
Tshabalala also spoke about the recent attacks that SAPS and DEMS personnel had suffered at the hands of the community.
“We as a community should help the police instead of attacking them and damaging their vehicles when they drive past.
“They could be rushing to save a life or to arrest a criminal, but when we choose to interfere and harm them or the emergency services personnel, we are failing our fellow community members who placed that call to them seeking help,” he said.
The keynote speaker, Brig Nkhensani Lemba, took to the podium to address the guests after representatives from the EMPD and the SANDF.
“We deliberately chose to bring this function here because of the high crime statistics,” she said.
“We are here to let you know that we aim to do better in this area as custodians of the law.”
Lemba spoke with emphasis about the plague of corruption which has engulfed the nation.
“I urge you to go back to your code of conduct, look in yourselves and ask – who am I?
“Why am I here?
“What is it that I want to deliver to these people?
“Look at what you applied for and that which you took an oath to do,” Lemba told her colleagues.
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She assured the community that there were a number of police stations in Germiston and many functions in each station that could aid in crime reporting, and that she aimed to reinstate a passion to fight and prevent crime within the SAPS.
“As the SAPS we are winners.
“When we go to court we want to win.
“When we are facing criminals carrying AK47s, we win.
“When criminals offer us bribes, we still want to win.
“We must say ‘no’ when someone comes to the station and asks us to lose a certain docket, we need to say ‘no’ when they ask us to look the other way when someone has committed a traffic violation,” she said.
The time for displays and exhibitions came, and Sgt Elvis Motlhabi led his mounted team onto the field, where they showcased their riding skills and the speed of their horses.
They were followed by the mechanised section, who combined with the SANDF in a mock attack demonstrating how to assemble and attack once the direction or location of an enemy had been identified.
The SAPS and military cadets showcased their drills, and the SAPS band rounded off the displays with tunes that got everyone on their feet.
Once Col Gerald Scheepers had concluded his vote of thanks, the custodians of the law lined up their vehicles at the exit of the sports grounds.
They drove off in convoy to Lambton and Dinwiddie and then returned to Germiston Police Station, were they alighted from their vehicles about 500 metres from the station and marched the rest of the way following the band’s lead.
Const Queen Sibeko, who was part of the organising team, said: “I have been waiting for this day for the past two weeks.
“I am happy how the event turned out.
“Other than a few people not showing up and minor hiccups here and there, everything ran smoothly and I’m glad.”
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