Bellair residents in the dark about police generator

BELLAIR residents fear for their safety and feel most vulnerable during load shedding as they are not only without electricity but their nearest police station becomes out of reach.

This comes after months of an inoperable generator at the police station where attempts to repair it have dragged on for months, meaning that when the power goes off, almost all the communication devices also get cut off as they need power to function.

Ward 65 Councillor, Chris van den Burg, explained the importance of always having the station powered. “The generator at the station is connected to a few lights, the telephone and radio communication system. So, whenever there is load shedding the station has no telephone, you cannot get hold of them and they can not phone out. They have no radio contact with their vehicles and their vehicles have no contact with the station,” he said.

The station does however have a control room from where police in vehicles are able to send and receive communication. “The vehicles at least have communication there, but not withstanding that, the station is almost pointless during load shedding,” Van den Burg added.

Although there have been countless attempts from both the Bellair SAPS and the councillor to get the generator up and running again, various city departments were contacted and contractors were dispatched but the problem remains unsolved.

Resident, Stephen Ashby, who has lived in Bellair for approximately 39 years, said it upsets him that his area gets hit by load shedding on a daily basis and the fact that they are unable to reach the police at that time makes matters worse. “To me, every police station and hospital should have a back up generator and that is not negotiable for when the power goes off, it kicks in immediately. It is an essential service,” he said.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said they feel most vulnerable when the power goes off everyday. “These kind of things should not happen in a country with high crime stats like ours, the darkness could be a potential platform for crime and when the police are out of reach, who knows what can happen to us?” she questioned. Bellair SAPS Corporate Communications Officer W/O Derek Vijiam said that all necessary arrangements to get the generator working are taken and that residents need not worry as the police station stays open even during load shedding. “The generator has not been functioning for about six months, however, it is checked on a regular basis, serviced and maintained. We give out our cellphone numbers to residents and patrol the area as a way to maintain calm in the community,” Vijiam said.