Following several complaints from community members about service delivery at the Kagiso Police station, the News spoke to the spokesperson for the station, Warrant Officer Solomon Sibiya.
Community members had complained that there was no one to attend to people while the police were on lunch, implying that there was no one at the front desk for a significant amount of time during the day. They also claimed that the police officers are uncaring about victims of serious crimes. The Kagiso Police station acknowledges that they are aware of such complaints but completely refutes the claims.
“Most of our members are doing what is expected of them, and more. It is therefore not fair to paint the whole Kagiso Police team with one brush,” Sibiya told the News. He said they encourage the team working at the front-line desk to respect clients’ privacy, which is why that desk has cubicles on the far left. These were specifically designed to help protect the client’s privacy during interviews about sensitive matters such as rape. At times, domestic abuse and rape victims are interviewed in the commander’s office to protect their privacy.
Sibiya assured the News that there is a warrant officer at the front desk at all times, even during lunch time, so an officer is always available to assist the public. He encouraged the public to work closely with the police by following the correct procedures, one of which is to use the suggestion box that is available to the public at the Client Services Centre. People can use the suggestion box to voice their dissatisfaction or appreciation, and contribute towards improving service delivery.
“Let our attention as concerned members of the community focus on improving service delivery, developing our newly recruited members and assisting our police in fighting crime, rather than killing the morale of those committed individuals,” Sibiya told the News. He assured the community that the station commander’s door is always open.
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