Only one Centurion police station has adequate holding cells

The lack of adequate cells to detain suspects overnight in Centurion has not negatively impacted arrests, the police have said.

It was reported this week that only one police station in the entire Centurion had adequate holding cells, reports Centurion Rekord.

“Criminals arrested by police in Lyttelton, Olievenhoutbosch, Erasmia, and Laudium all have to be taken to other police stations for detention,” said DA constituency leader for Centurion Cilliers Brink.

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He said this was revealed by police minister Bheki Cele in answer to a parliamentary question two weeks ago.

“The minister confirmed that, of the five police stations that serve the greater Centurion area, only Wierdabrug had cells to hold arrested persons overnight.”

Brink said what made this worrying was the large areas the various stations served.

“The 2011 census, estimated the populations of Centurion, Laudium, and Olievenhoutbosch at nearly 300,000,” he said.

“Today that number is probably higher.”

According to Cele, the Wierdabrug station can only detain 60 men and five women overnight.

“Suspects arrested in Erasmia and Laudium have to be taken to Atteridgeville police station, while those arrested in Lyttelton must be taken to Sunnyside.”

Brink said the party feared the shortage of the holdings cells had the effect of discouraging the police from arresting and detaining the suspects.

“It is clear that a capital budget is needed to build more police holding cells,” he said.

“Any more cuts to the police budget to bail out failing state-owned entities like Eskom must be ruled out.”

Last week, the DA also raised issues surrounding the shortage of running vehicles at Erasmia police station.

However, the police said it was the commission of a crime that warranted an arrest and not the number of holding cells.

“It is important to note that holding cells serve only as a temporary holding facility, after which remanded prisoners are held at correctional facilities,” said national police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo.

“Therefore, it would be impractical to have an overwhelming number of holding cells at police stations.”

Naidoo said a large number of criminals incarcerated in prisons by correctional services across the country was indicative that the police were never hindered by a “lack” of holding cells when it came to decisively dealing with crime and criminals.

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