DA Gauteng Premier Candidate Solly Msimanga conducted an oversight inspection of Honeydew Police Station.
Msimanga said the station covers a huge area which is all fast-growing areas, both formally and informally. “This tells you there is a need to have a very responsive police service which you can only have if you have the right number of personnel as well as equipment.”
He said through his inspection he saw there was a need for the station to be upgraded or moved to other premises as the premises the station is currently in is rented property. “The station cannot do much on this property without the consent of the landlord which then becomes an issue on its own,” said Msimanga.
He added that there is also a requirement for a specialised drug unit to be at the station as well as an increase in numbers of trained detectives. “They are currently sitting with about 341 personnel, the caseload right now has 17 detectives working on 114 cases each so that tells you of the serious challenge that needs to be addressed.”
He stated the more resources the station gets such as more personnel, vehicles and the latest technology to deal with crimes, will go a long way in assisting the officers.
Msimanga also expressed the need for the Family and Child Unit to be localised at the station. Currently, victims of violence who come to the station have to wait for the unit to come from Krugersdorp to assist them. “When you look at the number of reported gender- and child-violence cases at the station you realise there is a need for them to have a unit based here.”
The DA Gauteng candidate said there is a lot that needs to be done which they have picked up. “The priority at a national level has to change, there needs to be a hand over of the day-to-day running to the provincial government and to the commanders on the ground so you can have an effective usage of your force and quicker response in how they make decisions and how they execute what they do.”
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