The Mohlakeng Police Station is back to operating at full capacity where the men and women in blue are waiting to assist walk-ins from residents in the area.
This comes after the station was placed on a limited scale in terms of its operations at the office for approximately 12 months – where the doors were sometimes closed and officers deployed to the streets, to actively fight crime.
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This was due to a string of factors that played a role including the structure of the building which needed repairs, as well as a shortage of police officers at the station.
The Herald decided to sit down with the Randfontein Police station commander Brigadier Jacob Manamela to find out how residents were affected by this decision.
Manamala said his decision of redirecting forces to the ground was aimed at having officers be more hands-on and fight crime in the streets.
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“I have been a station commander in Randfontein for seven years and all the time, the police station in Mohlakeng was in operation but when I arrived here, people were complaining about the crime outside. As a result, I had to minimise the hours that the satellite station is open so that members can focus outside where the crime is happening,” Manamela explained.
This meant that Mohlakeng residents would sometimes have to go to the Randfontein Police as the main station, to access some of the services.
“We noticed that there’s also a challenge for people in the area, some of them cannot afford to come to Randfontein to report cases. It is because of this, that I insisted that the station must be opened,” he said and added that the Mohlakeng satellite station is operational 24/7.
When asked what led to the decision, Manamela said there were various issues and they were fortunate to receive 32 constables who are still training and this training will be finalised by October.
“That will go a long way into assisting us with the shortage that we had.”
This means that there is hope that the station will soon be operating as a fully-fledged station and that all services will be available to members of the public. At the moment it is only operating as a satellite station which essentially houses the Community Service Centre (CSC). This is where the public can open dockets and compile affidavits.
“If all goes according to plan, by July 1, the station should be declared as a fully-fledged police station. We are busy with the project plan for that. We are considering aspects such as financial recourses, human resources, and fiscal resources among others.
“There are already members that have been identified to go and work there, as well as resources like vehicles that are needed for operations.
“So, we will make a proper media statement,” said Manamela.
Meanwhile, residents can also contact the Mohlakeng police station on 082 319 9915.
