A CLEANING and greening project involving the revitalization of the flower beds around the Durban North police station has been welcomed by residents, officers and station management.
The project was spearheaded by Ward 35 councillor, Nicole Bollman and backed by the Durban North/uMhlanga CPF and Enviro Fixers Durban North and other sponsors.
Around 100 indigenous plants including, aloes and succulents were planted in the flower beds around the entrance of the station in a move Bollman hopes will boost officer morale and uplift the station. The paving at the entrance of the station on Norrie Avenue was also sprayed to kill the weeds growing between the brickwork.
“This is one part of a plan to uplift the area in and around the station before tackling some of the issues inside the station. Before we started planting the flower beds weren’t looked after and as such looked rather unsightly. For so many people who’ve had a traumatic experience because of crime to come through and see that sight doesn’t help. So we hoped to boost the morale of the officers and perhaps offer some tranquility to victims of crime. It started off with Paul de Swardt from the CPF who sprayed the weeds around the paving leading to the station, they were later removed.
“Once I’d formulated a plan, I contacted Helen Koch from Enviro Fixers Durban North who was only too happy to get involved. I’ve been so impressed with the work that’s already happened and the flower beds now look absolutely amazing. Another pleasing aspect is they’ve adopted the beds and the guys from Marshall Security’s Smile and Wave initiative have also come on board,” Bollman explained.
Helen Koch of Enviro Fixers Durban North said all the greenery planted on the day were water wise and indigenous.
“This is part of a general upliftment of the area around the station. As the councillor has explained, the flower beds before didn’t have indigenous plants and most had died and the beds had become giant ashtrays before we cleaned and greened them. One of our sponsors donated 100 plants and we’ve planted a few of our own that are not only indigenous but water wise too which requires low maintenance. I hope it offers beauty to everyone who arrives at the station. An add on from this initiative is we also plan to use it as a nursery as well to harvest succulents for other projects in the area,” Koch said.
Durban North SAPS spokesperson, Captain Raymond Deokaran, welcomed the initiative saying community involvement was always welcomed by the station.
“This is a huge morale booster for our staff and the station management welcome this initiative. The councillor has alluded to the fact at how much it has uplifted this section of the station and I couldn’t agree more. I’d like to thank all those involved in this project who’ve given their time and expertise to boost the image of the Durban North police station,” Deokaran said.
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