What happened to the idea of a police station in Cosmo City?

Sue Randall writes:

I am writing about Honeydew Police Station.

I wonder how many readers know that Honeydew SAPS is responsible for a very large area, and that they are under-resourced.

The Honeydew Precinct covers everything from Struben’s Valley and Little Falls in the west to Malibongwe Drive in the east, Weltevreden Park in the south, and Cosmo City in the north.

Cosmo City was supposed to get its own satellite station, and some police vehicles were even marked with the words “Cosmo City” in anticipation.

But in early 2014 the plans to open this new station were scrapped. Why?

I wrote (twice) to the DA representative to try and find out what the story is and whether there is anything that residents of the affected areas can do to

lobby for more resources for our local police. I received no reply.

At some point in the past, Honeydew SAPS employed two paralegal interns who were based at the Community Service Centre in Honeydew.

These interns were legal graduates and they helped people who came to the station with complaints that were more civil than criminal in nature.

I wonder why this arrangement was discontinued. Perhaps the decision was based on provincial SAPS budgets.

Despite its constraints, Honeydew SAPS is well-known – in a positive way – for its Counselling Centre, which provides support to survivors of crime and violence.

It would be great if Randburg Sun could tell us more about the history and challenges of Honeydew SAPS, and what happened to the idea of a satellite station in Cosmo City.

Editor’s note: Thank you for your input. We invite our readers to share their views on this issue.