Newcastle cops evicted for the second time
Newcastle police will be working out of their cars and homes indefinitely until Public Works finalises the rental contracts.
Nearly 200 Newcastle cops will once again be working out of their cars and homes following their second eviction in two months.
Despite an emergency meeting that proceeded toward the middle of the night on Thursday, Anton van Kampen, landlord of premises occupied by four police units, says he had no choice but to enforce a second eviction order, as promises made by the Department of Public Works to finalise the lease agreement within two weeks have still not been met two months later.
Police units that were turned out of their offices this morning (Friday) include the Organised Crime Unit, the K9 unit, Public Order Policing (POP) and the police vehicle workshop.
“We have nothing against the police and do not wish to interfere in the critical work that they do, but the Department of Public Works is not doing their work and I don’t know what else to do to get a response from them,” said Mr Van Kampen.
“I have been trying for months to go BEE and I can’t obtain BEE status without signed rental agreements in place. All of the previous rental contracts have lapsed.”
He assured the K9 unit that the officers would be allowed access to the kennels to feed and care for the dogs, as before, but the administrative buildings will be locked until the issue with Public Works is resolved.
While Mr Van Kampen is hopeful that the situation will be resolved by Wednesday, as promised at last night’s meeting, representatives from Public Works who were designated to seek a resolution became irate when they asked Mr Van Kampen to call off the eviction, and he refused to so until he had a chance to consult with his attorney.
“If they had previously broken their promise to finalise the contracts within a specified period of time, what guarantee do I have that they will keep their promise this time, unless I take action?” he asked.
Public Works spokesperson, Bukiwe Mgobozi, and spokesperson for the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Khumalo, were contacted for comment but said they needed time to investigate the matter before responding.
