MEC Mazibuko helps refurbish Eden Park Police Station
Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko has assured that 55 patrol vans will be donated to police forces during her visit at a local station.
The Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko and her team were hands-on in restoring dignity and the image of Eden Park Police Station during their visit on July 19.
Together with dignitaries, their visit was in line with the 67 minutes for Mandela Day that aimed at revamping the station and reassuring that the force is ready to protect and serve.
The team spent a day giving the station a facelift with a fresh paint of police colours on the facility’s walls, corridors and holding cells.
Local community police forums were also in attendance including Member of Parliament Phutas Tseki.
Mazibuko said the face value of the station will encourage locals to come in and report their cases and to interact with the men and women in blue.
“We decided to refurbish the police station so that it becomes an environment where police officers can work freely and be able to serve our people. It can’t be right that police are sitting in a dungeon when we expect them to serve our people,” she said.
She believes revamping the station will go a long way in ensuring that the refurbished environment maintains stability in the local area.
“They come dressed in clean clothes, so they must come into a clean environment so that people can be confident that they will receive prompt and proper service,” explained Mazibuko.
Dedicated to serve
In respect to concerns of capacity and service rendering, the MEC said initially Eden Park Police Station was only built to cater for a smaller population.
“When the police station was built the population was still very small and it has since grown. Plans are underway to relook at the capacitation of almost all police stations in the province. We are engaging with the provincial management to relook how they will the share the resources,” she said.
As provincial government, she said they will be donating 55 patrol vans and that out of that number Eden Park SAPS might benefit.
Mazibuko urged the municipality to also deploy EMPD officers to be based at the station and that this will make a huge difference in crime prevention.
Station commander Lieutenant Colonel Attie Engelbrecht extended his gratitude to the MEC and her office and those that showed up on the day.
“When I came here I committed to making a difference in Eden Park and I’m now getting the support from higher authorities. The promise came that the station will be upgraded and we are waiting for the implementation date, that I will have the manpower and still be working with all role players to make Eden Park a safer place,” he said.
